Our World Reborn
by Gihyou
Summary: Story Finished Sakura and Syaoran are little more than common street peasants...or are they? Together they try to make sense of their tragic pasts and bring hope to the future by taking down the man who caused their grief.
1. Chance Encounter?

Our Reborn World  
  
CHAPTER 1 - Chance Encounter?  
  
A lone girl skulked from the shadows of the alley into the main street, avoiding detection from the night guards. Her shirt was torn in two places on the right arm from a previous encounter with the guards, whose swords nearly took her arm off that time. Her skirt was short and mostly intact, if dirty. She couldn't remember when the last time she had been able to bathe, and she was filthy and she knew she smelled terrible. The night was temperate but the worn stone of the main street was cold under her bare feet. Anyone who didn't take her for a destitute was crazy and she knew it. And the city of Maghin was not kind to people like herself. At least, most of the town, anyway.  
  
The bakery door was open, the light still on. The girl walked in carefully, making sure no one saw her enter. The baker saw her and smiled, something few people would do to what they considered a grubby street urchin. But Mizuki was not like most people; she understand the girl's plight, and helped out with what she could, a half a loaf of freshly baked bread she shared with her every night.  
  
"Sakura, hello!" the rotund woman said. "I added a little bit of jam that a noble forgot to pick up today!"  
  
"Thank you, Mistress," said Sakura politely. "I know how much trouble you could get in if anyone found out you help me." Actually, her business would probably be shunned by the richer customers, because they held loathing for anyone who went out of their way to keep someone like Sakura alive. Mizuki found that disturbing, but Sakura had always told her not to risk her business for her sake.  
  
"Perhaps I could get in some trouble, yes," said Mizuki. "But I know what happened to you, and besides, without my bread I'm afraid you might waste away before my eyes and I couldn't stand to see that! Soon, you'll be old enough that I can take you on as my apprentice. Seventeen is a little too young, but you'll be there soon enough."  
  
Sakura gave Mizuki a hug. "You are truly kind."  
  
After the bread and jam filled her stomach, Sakura felt ready for sleep and bid good-night to Mizuki. She returned, through alley ways she knew like the back of her hand, toward her home, which was a dilapidated building that had been the victim of an arson a few years ago. It was closed due to risk of collapsing, but it was Sakura's best form of shelter.  
  
It was very dark, and the buildings hid the moonlight from the alleyways. Suddenly, she felt something soft in her path, which angrily pushed her the ground. She fell with a grunt, and strained to see who had gotten in her path. It looked like a kid, about the same age as her. "Oh, I thought you were a guard," the kid said. The voice sounded like a boy's.  
  
"No," said Sakura. She took his offered hand and let him help her up. "Just a common girl."  
  
"Perhaps you can help me," he said. "I am very much like you, I think. We can help each other."  
  
"I don't know..."  
  
"Please. I can tell you are a good person, just from your voice. You must have had something horrible happen for you to end up in this state."  
  
"Well," said Sakura, unsure of her answer. "I suppose we could help each other out a little bit."  
  
"Great!" the boy said. "My name is Syaoran. I don't even remember my last name, its been so long. Hell, I barely remembered my first name."  
  
"I'm Sakura."  
  
"Okay, Sakura, help me steal a pie from that baker."  
  
"What baker?"  
  
"The heavyset woman who owns that bakery."  
  
"Mistress Mizuki? No, she's very nice! We can't! You can't!"  
  
"Are you sure?"  
  
"Yes! I would never steal from her!"  
  
"All right, all right," said Syaoran. "Who can we steal from, then?"  
  
"No one, we can't steal!"  
  
Syaoran laughed, although it was a barking laugh. "You're kidding, right?"  
  
"Umm, no," said Sakura slowly. "I just don't steal. I have to eat from the garbage, but I think it's worth it."  
  
Syaoran said nothing for a moment, then, a touch defensively, "I have no choice." He ran up the alley, then stopped. Sakura could barely see, but had been used to trying to see in the dark, so she noticed him wave his arm as if motioning her to follow. She didn't really trust him yet, but followed anyway, if only for something to do. It would be better than home. She could sleep all day anyway, it didn't have to be at night.  
  
"Here," Syaoran said as she came up to him. "You can stand watch for me while I get some food from this house for my brothers and sisters."  
  
"You have a family?" Sakura asked. Syaoran seemed to hang his head, but it was so hard to tell with the lack of light.  
  
"They're...adopted."  
  
"Well, I guess I'll watch for guards for you, then," said Sakura, finding Syaoran's intent noble, even if the means of going about this intent was not.  
  
Syaoran slipped in through a lower-story window. Sakura didn't know which houses were which alley, only that the people in them were always more fortunate than herself. By the looks of them, Sakura could dimly distinguish two or three stories, meaning they were in the more affluent part of town. It was not quite the house of a noble, but it was still well-to-do. Perhaps a merchant.  
  
Suddenly, Sakura could see the tell-tale light of a guard. Suppressing a gasp, she was unsure of how to warn Syaoran without making a noise. The guard carrying the lit candle turned through the alley, apparently in search. She could almost, not but quite hear him and another guard talking, but she assumed they were here because they heard herself and Syaoran talking. Sakura turned toward the window to see if Syaoran was near it, when he suddenly flew out, surprising her. She yelped, and automatically knew they would be in trouble as soon as she did. Syaoran was surprised himself, especially after Sakura grabbed his arm and dragged him away.  
  
"Hey, who's there!" yelled a guard, and Syaoran swore. "Stop!"  
  
"Come on!" said Syaoran. "Just follow me!" Sakura did not argue, and let him lead her through the alleys as they tried to escape the pursuing guards, who had taken to yelling, "Thief! Thief!" as they chased. Sakura felt she couldn't keep up her pace long, in keeping up with Syaoran, because she could feel her legs giving out between tiredness and fright. Luckily, she didn't have too. Syaoran stopped at a house and went in, dragging her behind him. The room they were in held food supplies, and other assorted items fit for storage. Sakura realized it wasn't a house at all, but a stockroom of a rich man.  
  
"We can't hide here," she whispered when she realized what it was. Syaoran ignored her as he felt along the floor, before pulling up a piece of it, and sliding it aside. "Syaoran?"  
  
"Let's go," he said, pushing her into the opened trap door. Sakura fell a short distance, but, unprepared for the drop, she couldn't land upright and had to pick herself up before Syaoran followed, closing the trap door behind him. "This tunnel will take us to where I live. You are welcome to stay here until its safe."  
  
It was pitch black in the tunnel. Syaoran lit a candle, but it seemed to struggle to illuminate anything. Sakura couldn't see the dirt she walked on. It was a short tunnel, though, and soon the two emerged from it into a room that held boxes, barrels, and...kids. Sakura was taken aback.  
  
Many young faces greeted her and Syaoran, and most rushed up as soon as they recognized him and surrounded him. He told them to go back to bed, which they did obediently. Sakura stood back, amazed at how many kids there were, all from six to fifteen years old, she guessed.  
  
"How many are here?" she asked quietly.  
  
"About twenty-seven," he replied. "It's a lot of work to keep them fed, but I do very well, if I may say so myself." He had a tone of pride. "Now here," he handed her a little sack from a larger one she hadn't even noticed he was carrying. "This is for you for tonight."  
  
"Oh no, I don't need any food. Give it all to them and yourself."  
  
"Trust me, its okay," said Syaoran. "I got a lot from that guy. Looks like he had just started stocking up for a week."  
  
"Thank you, Syaoran." she said. "I think I'll be fine going home."  
  
"Where do you live?" he asked.  
  
"In that house on the outskirts of town, the old blacksmithery destroyed in the fire."  
  
"You're the girl that lives there?" came a girl's voice from the group of small children laying near them, covered in blankets. "Syaoran says..."  
  
"Be quiet, Lelai" said Syaoran quickly. "Sleep now." Turning to Sakura, he said, "Come on, I need to put this food into the other room. Do you mind helping?"  
  
"No," said Sakura. She wanted to find out what he always said, since the little kid had been cut off, and told Syaoran so in the other room, which contained a little stockpile of food that surprised Sakura.  
  
"I just am surprised you live alone," said Syaoran. "Plus, that place could fall anytime."  
  
"I know..."  
  
"You can't stay there forever."  
  
"Yeah, but right now, it works."  
  
"You should stay here from now on."  
  
"Oh, no, I couldn't. You're very nice, but I don't want to be a burden."  
  
"Burden? Hardly. Besides, I need someone my own age to talk to, and I bet you could use someone to talk to at all."  
  
"But..."  
  
"Sakura, I can't see you well in this light, but I can tell your clothes are a mess, and, I apologize in advance for saying this, but you don't smell good." Sakura frowned and momentarily stopped taking food from the sack to hand to Syaoran, but then had to admit he was right. "You look thin, as well. I wouldn't be a good person if I didn't offer you at least a chance to get into better shape. You aren't healthy the way you are."  
  
"Well, I don't like the way you put it, but you're right," said Sakura. "I suppose I could stay here for a little, but I want to help you. Even if it means," she paused to sigh, "even if it means stealing."  
  
"I couldn't feed all of them if I didn't steal. Trust me, I don't like it anymore than you do, but you do what you have to do to survive." Syaoran put some of the food onto a shelf, then said, "But don't tell any of them. I don't want them to think I steal." When Sakura promised she wouldn't, he said, "Now, get some sleep." He tossed a blanket from a different shelf to her. "It was a tiring night." Sakura yawned, finding it hard to argue.  
  
"Aren't you going to sleep?" she asked.  
  
"Later," he said. "Don't worry about me." Even with the lack of light, she felt she could see him smiling. She settled into the first room she had come into, finding the blanket to be warm and comfortable. He had told her not to worry about him, so she didn't, and soon she had dozed off.  
  
****************************************  
  
Continued in Chapter 2 


	2. Tragedy

Our Reborn Hope  
  
CHAPTER 2 - Tragedy  
  
The next two weeks passed well. Sakura had gotten more to eat, and better quality foods as well, thanks to Syaoran. Besides that, Syaoran had found a pair of breeches that, while not exactly flattering to a woman's physique, was better than her tattered skirt. And he had donated one of his shirts. Sakura didn't mind dressing like a boy if it meant she was warmer, more comfortable, and less ratty-looking. Syaoran also found a pair of only slightly-worn shoes, her first pair of such in years. They felt very strange at first, but she had gotten used to them quickly. She had also been offered a bit of soap for a bath, but was afraid someone might see her and so had put off the washing, except for her face and hands.  
  
She still visited Mizuki every night, and the good baker had been providing Sakura with three loaves of bread and a small bottle that she refilled with a bit of jam, every night, when she found out Sakura had been taken in by Syaoran. Although she felt maybe she shouldn't have told Mizuki, so she didn't give Sakura so much stuff, the portly woman seemed very happy to be giving what she did.  
  
At the start of the third week with Syaoran and the little kids, Syaoran told her to get ready for a trip. He went silent after that, and any attempt Sakura made to question one of the kids as to what he was up to always led to giggling, but they would not tell her. Finally, a few days later, Syaoran came to her and said, "Tonight we're going to a pond a few miles from town. It's very nice, I think you'll like it."  
  
"Syaoran..."  
  
"It's a good place to get really clean," he said. Then, somewhat mischievously, "Don't worry, I won't watch."  
  
"So, you noticed I haven't taken a bath here," she said, turning a little red.  
  
"Yes," said Syaoran. "So I figured you needed to go somewhere private. Girls can be shy like that." Sakura said nothing but didn't stop blushing, proving Syaoran right, which he laughed at.  
  
"What about the kids?"  
  
"Don't worry," said Syaoran. "You and I have come up with enough food between us to last two more weeks, and the kids don't even have to leave. Besides, Aneko does a good job with the little ones, and can be in charge for a little while." An older girl, who Sakura assumed to be Aneko, nodded. Sakura felt a little embarrassed that she didn't know the names of half the kids there yet, but she'd always been bad with names.  
  
"Well, I suppose a little trip wouldn't hurt," said Sakura.  
  
"That's good!" said Syaoran. "Geez, I have to talk you into everything," he said playfully. Sakura noticed Aneko smiling as if she saw something no one else saw.  
  
**************  
  
Sakura had thought getting through the town walls would be difficult, it being night and most guards being instructed not to allow anyone in or out, but as it turned out the little cave where Syaoran lived had another tunnel that led outside of town. Sakura commented on how thorough his home was.  
  
"It did take a while to dig and build, but it was worth it. The kids are safe from the comments and ridicule of the upper classes, while also safe from the suspicions of the guards. I'm sure you know how they can be." Sakura did know, remembering a few instances in her youth where they had blamed her for crimes she had not committed, and once even arrested her, before the real culprit was found. And Sakura considered herself lucky, because a "disgusting little urchin", as the guards referred to her, was only put in the prison to await execution. "What makes me sad sometimes is that by staying down there, they can't see a moon or the sun, or the stars or clouds, or smell the fresh air," said Syaoran somberly.  
  
"They have to be safe, though," said Sakura.  
  
"Yes, I suppose. You know, Sakura, I've known about you for a while."  
  
"Yeah, as the dumb girl who lived in the ready to collapse house," said Sakura, a little more acidly than she meant.  
  
"Well," he said, uncomfortably, "I also always thought you were kinda, you know, cute."  
  
"Cute?" said Sakura, losing a step and nearly tripping and falling. "No one has called me that in a long time..."  
  
"Well, more should have," said Syaoran, nervous and burning red.  
  
"Oh, well, you're cute too," she said. Syaoran nodded idiotically and chastised himself for it.  
  
"I'm not used to being so...flustered," he said.  
  
Sakura was not being much better than him. She didn't say anything, not being able to think of anything to say. Neither could Syaoran, so they walked in silence for a long while, until Syaoran pointed ahead. "There it is." Sakura looked ahead, and with dawn approaching the light was good enough that she could see the pond, which had a little waterfall that fell into it.  
  
"Wow, it's wonderful!" said Sakura. "A waterfall and everything!"  
  
"Yep. The water's usually cold, but if you wait a little bit it will warm up a little. Perhaps we can eat breakfast while waiting?" Syaoran suggested.  
  
After breakfast, Sakura went into the little lake to bathe for the first time in a long time. She felt crud and dirt being washed away. Despite Sakura's protests that he didn't have to, Syaoran positioned himself against a tree, facing away from the pond. Sakura was a little glad for it though, she didn't know if she really wanting him watching anyway. She took a long time in the pond, working the soap against the dirt, and when she finally finished and redressed she found Syaoran had fallen asleep against the tree. Feeling better than she ever had, she decided sleep would make it even better, and sit up against the tree near Syaoran and soon fell asleep herself.  
  
***********  
  
On the way back to Maghin, Sakura explained to Syaoran about Mizuki and the baking apprenticeship she would get in a few years. Syaoran said he had no idea what he wanted to do, but it definitely didn't involve baking.  
  
"Syaoran, I want to thank you for helping me. I feel so much better than I did before I met you. I was very lucky to have run into you that day."  
  
"Don't fool yourself. You have helped give us food ever since you came and you even bring back jam, which is hard to find." Sakura stopped him by digging into the breeches and handing him the sack he had given her that first night. Syaoran felt something inside of it. "What's this?" he asked.  
  
"Only a little something," said Sakura shyly. Syaoran opened the bag and pulled out a red and white scarf. "Some of those girls really know how to knit and they showed me. They did a lot of the work, though, but I did what I could."  
  
"It's a wonderful scarf," Syaoran said. "I don't have anything to give you though."  
  
"You shouldn't give me anything."  
  
The two walked the long distance back to the hole, and Syaoran was sad to see the bushes ahead where the hole was hidden. He wanted more time with Sakura, but figured he could always do so later.  
  
Before he could react, an arrow buzzed over his head. Breaking off the shock, he pulled down Sakura with him as he went to the ground, just as a second arrow passed through the space she had just occupied. "You, what are you doing here!?" called out a gruff man. He was a guard, armed with a crossbow. Three more stepped out from behind bushes and trees they had hidden behind and helped the first surround the two teens.  
  
"We're going to Maghin, sir," said Syaoran, his voice as steady as a rock.  
  
"You ever been there before, boy?"  
  
"Once, a few years ago," Syaoran lied.  
  
"So I suppose you don't know who led the little band of thieves, then?"  
  
Syaoran had to fight to remain calm and indifferent. "No."  
  
"And what about her?" asked a guard, motioning to Sakura, who was still spooked.  
  
"N...No," said Sakura, almost visibly shaking. She probably realized the same thing he did, that the guards had found the hideout. He knew the day may come, but he never could have guessed it would have been while he was gone. Syaoran held Sakura steady, but also it seemed she held him steady.  
  
"All right, you are free to pass. But if you find anything out in town, tell a guard without delay, understood?"  
  
"Yes, sir," said Syaoran. He led Sakura past the guards, and when they had disappeared into the horizon, he had been blinking back tears, keeping them from forming and clouding his thinking. Sakura hadn't been so successful.  
  
"Syaoran, you don't think...?"  
  
"I don't know," he admitted morosely.  
  
"Well, we have to go in there and find out. Maybe they're still okay and we can rescue them!" said Sakura, trying to put on a brave face.  
  
Syaoran nodded. It was worth hoping they were still alive. "Let's go."  
  
************  
  
The gate through the town walls was wide open, signaling that anyone was welcome. Sakura and Syaoran entered with only a single guard watching them enter, but making no move to stop them. They certainly looked harmless, as neither had any kind of weapon. Syaoran ran through the town, with Sakura in tow, heading for the stockroom of that led to his tunnel. He stopped suddenly, and let out a cry. Sakura gasped when she saw as well, and not even Syaoran could hold back the tears now.  
  
"No...it can't be..." he said, chokingly. The small building was almost completely destroyed, and a large group of guards were surrounding the tunnel that led underneath. One turned to the large crowd that formed a ring around them, and yelled, "The thieves are dead! Celebrate, for the guards, under the services of your great King Plute, have eradicated the biggest band of thieves this town has ever seen! Your homes and streets are safe once again!"  
  
Syaoran exploded in a fury while the crowd of nobles cheered, but Sakura grabbed him before he rushed through the crowd toward the guards. "Syaoran, there's nothing you can do!" she pleaded.  
  
"No, let go!" he said, ripping from her grasp with such force she fell down. "They killed them!"  
  
"Don't let them kill you too!" she said, and he stopped running to them. "I don't want to see it!" Seeing she had his attention, she continued, blindly trying to convince him not to rush in foolishly. "You're unarmed, and there's at least twenty of them. What could you possibly do except die!?"  
  
"I don't know, but I want to do something," he said, still shaking with anger. "Anything."  
  
"I...I understand what it's like to lose your family," said Sakura sadly. "Mine was taken by the disease that nearly killed me. I've often wondered if I was really lucky to have survived the disease or if it would have been better to have died with them. But I know, for their sake, I have to keep living. I want them to be proud of me, and I can't do that dead." Syaoran came back to her, and picked her from the ground. "You can't die either, Syaoran, because they wouldn't want you to die uselessly."  
  
"But it hurts..."  
  
Sakura said nothing, and the two spent the night sitting in the town, miserable and without much hope.  
  
**********************************  
  
Continued in Chapter 3 


	3. Syaoran and the Castle

CHAPTER 3 - Syaoran and the Castle  
  
"Oh, Sakura, hello!" said Mizuki, trying to put on a smile. "I heard...about the poor children," she said after a while, failing to keep the smile. "Just terrible."  
  
"I brought someone along, if its all right," said Sakura. "His name is Syaoran."  
  
"Hello, Mistress Mizuki," said Syaoran, bowing respectfully. His eyes were dark and baggy, like Sakura's, but he carried the pain of knowing and raising a lot of the dead kids by himself for so long. Sakura worried he might drift over the edge, and become suicidal or homicidal. Or both. Much like herself those first days after the disease, she thought bitterly.  
  
"Syaoran? Oh, you poor thing! Here, eat some bread. It's all I can give you, though, I'm afraid."  
  
"Thank you, but I'm not hungry."  
  
"You haven't eaten a thing in two days," said Sakura. "You need to eat something."  
  
Syaoran sighed, but he wolfed the bread and warm milk provided for him. Mizuki allowed the two to sleep in her room if they wanted, and with both of them too tired and depressed to argue, they slept on the ground beside her bed.  
  
The next day, Syaoran announced he needed to avenge the deaths. "No..." said Sakura, but Syaoran stopped her.  
  
"Either you help, or you don't, but don't try to stop me."  
  
Sakura sighed, but saw the hard look in Syaoran's face and knew he could not be convinced otherwise. "Okay," said Sakura. "I'll help you any way I can, but I'm not much of a fighter."  
  
"Well, you'll do what you can. I hope you're good at diversions." As Syaoran explained his plan, Sakura noticed he was smiling for the first time since they had returned, but it was not a happy smile. It sent a shiver up her spine.  
  
************  
  
"Syaoran," said Sakura, as the dawn broke on the day they would carry out their plan, "be careful, okay."  
  
"Of course, Sakura. Don't worry, I'll come back to Mistress Mizuki's bakery, and we'll get out of this miserable town."  
  
"Okay," said Sakura. Frankly, she wasn't adverse to leaving.  
  
At noon, Sakura and Syaoran were in place. Syaoran had a sword he stole from a noble, its hilt jeweled and blade still sharp from being more show than in use. Sakura had a few matches. She was to burn down the blacksmithery she used to live at, and while the guards' attentions were taken up by the fire, Syaoran could sneak into the castle grounds and do whatever he had planned. Sakura wasn't sure what he would do, but he promised to not kill anyone, "I don't have to."  
  
Sakura heard the town bell dong loudly, counting up to twelve hours. She lit the match on ten, tossed it on eleven, and watched the blacksmithery, which she had grown up in and was now covered in quick-burning fluid, go up in flames a second time. By the time the bell's tone died down, there was quite a fire going on as Sakura abandoned the scene.  
  
She watched from afar as guards and townspeople alike instantly brought buckets of water to the scene. The town was usually good with fires. But the fluid helped sustain the flames, and the water poured onto them seemed to do nothing. She hoped Syaoran would be all right.  
  
She barely got the thought out when the sword of a guard came to her throat. Nearly choking in surprise, she was held tightly by the other arm of the owner of the sword. "Think you can just set fires, girl, and get away with it?"  
  
"What?" said Sakura, playing dumb. Her knees buckled under her, and she felt she was only standing because he was holding her so tightly.  
  
"Our informant told us she saw you set the fire. You're as good as dead. For your kind, death is certain." Sakura felt the life drain out of her. Who had seen? She had thought the coast was clear.  
  
"Who...who..." she said softly.  
  
"Ah, Sakura," said Aneko, who came up from the scene. "It seems you have been found."  
  
"Aneko!" Sakura squeaked.  
  
"It's sad things had to turn out like this, but the guards made me an offer I couldn't refuse. I'm sure you'd understand. And I knew Syaoran would try something, so I followed you two around and overheard your little plan. I'm sure Syaoran is not long to joining you in the prison, Sakura."  
  
Sakura felt sick. Syaoran had been betrayed by Aneko, whom he had entrusted the safety of all the kids in the cave. "You are no better than a murderer!" she said angrily, suddenly furious. She kicked at Aneko, but was held back by the guard.  
  
"No need for theatrics," the girl said calmly.  
  
"Come along, now," the guard holding Sakura said. "Time to go." Sakura fought him, but he grimaced and whapped her with the hilt of sword in the back of her head, and she felt all go black.  
  
************  
  
The castle grounds seemed unusually devoid of guards, even for the diversion Sakura had made for Syaoran that caused the two guards posted on the castle wall to rush for the fire. After they had left, he had scaled the wall and made his way near the main castle. In there was something he needed to pull off the rest of his plan of revenge.  
  
Syaoran mused to himself that it seemed as if they were waiting for him to come, but knew that was foolish. They couldn't have known. Only Sakura knew, and he doubted she would have turned him in. But maybe someone had been there to overhear? His mind wouldn't let him enjoy how easy this was turning out to be.  
  
Syaoran saw something glimmer in the sun in front of him, behind a bush. He realized it was the glint of metal. Guards. So they were hiding, they had known he was coming. And if they knew he was coming...Sakura.  
  
He turned to go back, but felt the guards pop out behind him. Old teaching came back to him, teaching he thought was long forgotten. He spun and cut with his sword, slicing two crossbow quarrels in mid-air before they could hit him, and dodging two more coming from either side. The guards whose quarrels he cut looked dazed, unbelieving their eyes. He could hardly believe it himself.  
  
More guards were pursuing from the exit of the castle, so Syaoran took off for the castle, crossbow shots whizzing past. He bobbed and weaved toward the castle, throwing off their aiming with sudden stops or bursts of quickness. He leapt at stained-glass window, breaking through it and landing inside the castle. He felt the glass cut in to him in many different places, but ignored it and ran up the main staircase. Guards followed from the window and door, and more stood in his ways, armed with spears. They were the defensive guards, designed to stop intruders.  
  
Syaoran took more suddenly remembered teaching of the sword to parry spear thrusts and slash the men holding them. Bleeding, they were still crumpling down even as he passed them. He thought they would live, but they wouldn't trouble him for a while. The guards were still chasing them, and he counted between fifteen and twenty. No chance if he ran into a dead-end.  
  
Syaoran still remembered the castle layout from his trips there as a boy with his mother. Ex-mother, he thought angrily. He reminded himself there was no time for emotions to get in his way. He needed to get the King's seal and get out and find Sakura. He worried she might be in trouble as well.  
  
Throwing statues and wall paintings at the guards behind him in the hopes of slowing them down, he danced and leaped around and over any who tried to get in front of him. He almost laughed as he realized how poorly guarded the King's bedroom was, at least while the King was not in it.  
  
Spears flew by his head and body, thrown by those he passed. One grazed his shoulder, not sticking but still drawing a good amount of pain and blood. He grimaced but ignored it. It was his left arm; his sword arm was still intact and that was all that mattered.  
  
The King's bedroom had four spear-wielding guards in front of it. Syaoran yelled to get focused, and waved his sword in front of him, deflecting spears without even realizing what he was doing. He had not used a weapon in such a long time, but he was behaving like he'd never stopped. Soon the four guards were down, but the ones behind him were almost on him. He kicked up the door, then slammed it shut behind him, using a chair to keep it closed. It would hold, but not for long.  
  
The last guards had been very skilled, and he had not escaped them unscathed. Small wounds dribbled blood all over, and every step was painful. He hobbled over to the drawer by the giant bed the King slept in. The King himself was out on a trip abroad, which is why he chose now to go in. He thought the security would be lower, and he had been right. As a boy, he remembered the castle having so many guards you couldn't swing your arms without hitting one.  
  
It only took a search of a couple drawers before he found a document with an official seal of the King. There were plenty, and he stuffed a handful of them into the small pack on his back. The door was ready to fly open, so he rushed over to the window of the bedroom. It was high up, and the castle grounds had more guards in them. Cursing, he climbed out onto the balcony.  
  
The door burst open, and the guards all swarmed in, only to find Syaoran leap the three-stories from the balcony to the grounds. He hit with a roll, and felt agony like he'd never felt before. The guards on the ground shock off their shock to run for him, swords drawn, but he never gave them a chance to fight. Abandoning his stolen sword, he ran as fast as he ever had to escape them. And in their armor, they could not keep up. He raced to the castle wall, and scampered up and over, and kept running. Cuts burned and his body complained bitterly, but he did not stop until he was in Mizuki's bakery.  
  
"Sa...kur...a..." he managed to get out. Mizuki shook her head, and noticed his condition. She gasped and he fell over, unconscious, exhausted and bloody, onto the bakery floor.  
  
*************  
  
"Master, why did you not stop the boy?" said Aneko to the magician in front of her, watching Syaoran run away from the castle.  
  
The magician smiled. "This was not the time. Besides, I like him. He is strong and he has courage. And he and I do share some things."  
  
"He managed to evade all the castle's guards."  
  
"Yes, he did. Quite impressive. But he will return."  
  
"You think he will? He has what he wanted to get."  
  
"But, the castle has a prisoner he will want to get more than anything he has now."  
  
"You mean Sakura, Master?" The magician nodded. "I didn't think he liked her that much that he would risk his life to save her."  
  
"Do not worry. One day those kinds of things will be obvious. Anyway, when he returns for her, he and I can meet. I've always wanted to find the boy the Li clan disowned. I have been curious as to why they did so. But it looks like I only have to wait a little longer for him to come back." He noticed Aneko looking gloomily at the ground. "What is it?"  
  
"Master, am...I...a murderer?" Aneko asked haltingly. "For being a traitor to Syaoran? And letting those kids die?"  
  
"No, no. It had to be done to force him out. Sad, really, but I need him, and that's important. Besides, you didn't actually kill anyone, the guards did that."  
  
"You're right, of course, when you look at it that way." The girl seemed more upbeat. The magician noted how easy it was to make the girl believe whatever he wanted her to believe.  
  
"I'm always right," the magician said, a smile on his lips. It looked odd. "Clow Reed is never wrong."  
  
*************************************  
  
Continued in Chapter 4 


	4. A New Friend

CHAPTER 4 - A New Friend  
  
The bed Sakura woke up on was nothing more than a piece of wood. Her head hurt. She tried to remember what happened. The fire...the guard...Aneko...it all came flooding back. Aneko. Syaoran. Syaoran. "Syaoran!" she said.  
  
"Quiet!" came the yell from outside her prison cell.  
  
Sakura felt like crying. She was sure to die. Unless Syaoran came in to save her. No, she didn't want that. He'd only end up hurting himself. Besides, how could he possibly save her? Aneko had overheard her plan, and the guards would have been ready for him at the castle. She realized he could be dead. Just like everyone else who was important to her. Somehow, she counted Syaoran as important even though she had only known him for less than a month.  
  
"Ah, Lady Aneko," said the guard outside. "You may of course visit the prisoner, but if I may say, she is hardly worth..."  
  
"Quiet," said Aneko. "Whether or not she is worth my time is my business."  
  
"Of course, Lady."  
  
The guard came into the cell, with Aneko trailing. "I don't think the prisoner will give you any problems, but just in case, I'll be right outside."  
  
"Of course," she said. He bowed deeply and left the cell.  
  
"What are you doing here?" demanded Sakura. Even though she was frightened and sad, she still felt anger toward the girl.  
  
"I just came to give you some news. Syaoran is still alive."  
  
"What?" said Sakura, standing up.  
  
"Yes, he managed to avoid the guards. As my master said, it was very impressive."  
  
"Syaoran..."  
  
"But I don't think he'd come back for you."  
  
"I should hope not, for his sake. I hope he's already left the city," said Sakura defiantly. No matter how much that was the opposite of how she felt, that would be best for him, and that was important too.  
  
"Yes, well, I don't think he's done that yet." Aneko said, then reached in her bag. "Here, someone brought this for you." She handed Sakura a small stuffed animal, not larger than her hand. It was bright yellow and had white wings on its back. "I don't know who sent it to you, but I thought it would be fun to give it to you myself."  
  
"A stuffed animal?" said Sakura.  
  
"Perhaps it can comfort you. You know, I do feel sorry for you."  
  
"Please, leave," said Sakura. "I've never said this to anyone, but you disgust me."  
  
Aneko pouted. "I only did what my master ordered me to. Besides, he told me it wasn't my fault."  
  
"Well, you shouldn't have listened to him. Your master sounds like a disgusting person, too." Sakura's comment drew a slap from Aneko.  
  
"Never say that about Master!" Sakura said nothing more, the slap stinging her cheek. Aneko sniffed, and got up and left. Sakura was relieved.  
  
Looking over the stuffed animal, she wondered who could have sent such an odd item to her. Then she noticed a little note attached to the inside of the ear with glue. She pulled the note off. The handwriting was tiny, and she had to squint to read it. "This is no use to me, but you can use it. Please stay happy and hopeful. Mistress Mizuki."  
  
"Mistress Mizuki sent it," she said to herself. "Well, I guess it is kind of cute. But it feels...strange."  
  
The doll began to glow and Sakura let go of it and yelped. She watched as it seemed to come to life, and opened its eyes and stared into her eyes. Then it looked around. Sakura cowered as far away from it as possible in the small cell, even though it did not appear frightening at all.  
  
"What am I doing in a prison cell?" it asked, not seeming to notice her. Then it turned to Sakura. "Well?"  
  
Sakura laughed nervously. She didn't believe her eyes. "Mistress Mizuki sent you to me, apparently to prove I've already lost it!"  
  
"And you are?"  
  
"Sakura."  
  
"Well, Sakura, you can call me Kero. Its really Keroberos, but that's too long. I gotta figure out how to get out, which would normally be easy, but...since Kaho sent me to you, then you must be important for something. So I have to get you out, too," said the creature known as Keroberos.  
  
"If you say so," said Sakura, still dazed.  
  
"If I may ask, how do you know Kaho?"  
  
"Mistress Mizuki always fed me food. It was my best meal of the day."  
  
"Kaho always did have the sweet spot for the homeless kids."  
  
"She is very nice."  
  
"She kidnapped me."  
  
"What!?"  
  
"Oh, well, it wasn't really like that. I needed to get away...anyway, let's bust you out. What kind of guard do ya got?"  
  
"One."  
  
"One! Ha, this should be easy. I'll just transform." Kero concentrated, and then frowned. "Something's wrong. I can't transform."  
  
"You already transformed from the stuffed animal into the talking stuffed animal!"  
  
"No, its different." Kero flew up the wall and felt along it. "There should be a switch here."  
  
"What kind of prison would have that?"  
  
"In case a guard got trapped by rebellious prisoners. At least, that makes sense to me. Now, shh." Sakura kept quiet while he felt along the wall, then the opposite wall, and the third wall. "Well, unless a bar can pop out of the door, we're stuck." Sakura hung her head. Even though she hadn't figured on there being a switch that would allow for escape, she realized she had hoped for it. "What're you in for, anyway? Petty theft? Dressing like a boy?"  
  
"Arson."  
  
"Oh ho ho! You're in trouble. We still in Maghin? Ooh boy."  
  
"I'll be dead soon," said Sakura miserably. "Best go back to Kaho, since you can."  
  
"You won't die!" said Kero with confidence. "Something will happen."  
  
"I wish I could share your optimism and your upbeat attitude."  
  
"Yes, you should try it. Why don't you tell me why you decided to commit arson?" he said accusingly.  
  
Sakura become defensive. "There was a good reason..."  
  
************  
  
"Ah, that's a good boy," said Mizuki as Syaoran opened his eyes. "You're feeling better, aren't you?" Syaoran nodded, noticing he didn't hurt like he remembered. Then he tried to sit up. And he winced as pain flowed in like a thousand tiny needles from the many wounds on his body. And he grimaced as the hammer-like pain of his left shoulder settled in. "You sure know how to obtain injuries."  
  
Syaoran lay back down and let the pain subside a little. "Did Sakura..." Mizuki sighed. "She isn't..."  
  
"No, she's still alive, but she was found. She's in the prison." Syaoran shot up, and fought back the pain, but Mizuki pushed him back down. "No no, not in your condition."  
  
"But, she'll die soon!"  
  
"And you'll die if you go in there," said Mizuki carefully. "I sent help for Sakura. He should be able to get her out some way or another. You'll just have to trust me." Syaoran nodded, knowing there really was nothing he could do. He doubted he could even walk. "Don't worry about it, Syaoran. Just sleep." Syaoran didn't want to sleep, but he did anyway because he was still tired.  
  
Once he was back asleep, Mizuki said to herself, "You can do it, Keroberos."  
  
**************  
  
The two next days in prison passed slowly for Sakura. She managed to depress even Kero with her story of the past month, so he was not much help in cheering her up. And she couldn't help but wonder what had happened to Syaoran. Aneko had said he was still alive, but she could have been lying.  
  
"Shouldn't I have been executed by now?" asked Sakura.  
  
"Yes, probably. But you wouldn't be executed, you'd be escaping into the countryside." Sakura glanced at him. "I may not be able to transform, but I can still be of help." As demonstration, he flew over, bit the collar of her shirt, and picked her up off the ground. Sakura dangled a whole foot off the ground. "Yeah, I'm pretty strong."  
  
"So you'd pick me up and we'd float to safety?" asked Sakura, sarcasm in her voice.  
  
"Well, of course," said Kero. Sakura didn't reply. "You're very depressing."  
  
"I don't have a lot to be happy about right now."  
  
The cell door opened, and Kero dashed into her breeches pocket. In walked a man dressed all in black, with a long flowing cape. He had visited her before, and she still didn't like him. "Hello, Sakura."  
  
"Now what?" said Sakura.  
  
"I'm only here to give you hope. I don't believe you set that fire. The only witness, that Lady Aneko, is very unreliable. So far, I've managed to delay your execution."  
  
"You? Who are you?"  
  
"I'm a friend, for now." The man paused, and seemed to sense the air. "What's this? Interesting."  
  
"Oh, no," she heard Kero whisper.  
  
"Well, I must leave," the man announced. "Don't give up hope, okay?" Before Sakura could react, the man was gone.  
  
"Kero?" said Sakura.  
  
"I think he sensed me," said Kero. "This could be bad."  
  
"Who was that?"  
  
"The man who created me, Clow Reed."  
  
**************  
  
Clow left the girl alone after his visit. He needed to think on it. He had sensed one magic, one that was similar to his own. "Could it be?" he said to himself. "Keroberos disappeared years ago. What would cause him to surface now?" Clow hated to not know things. But, although the most powerful magician in the world by far, he was not as powerful as legend made him, and he could not predict or know everything. And the girl having magic potential, no matter how small, was another surprise. It seemed very familiar, but Clow could not place it.  
  
**************  
  
"I'm fine, really." Syaoran stood up and stretched about to prove it to Mizuki. "It's been three days since Sakura was put in that prison. They should have had the execution by now, but they haven't. I believe someone is keeping her in there for a reason. So, that means I've got to go in and get her."  
  
"If you're sure you'll be okay," said Mizuki, with a worried tone. "Please, if you can, bring her back here before you leave the city. I need to give her something."  
  
"Okay," said Syaoran. "I'll do my best."  
  
In truth, Syaoran had seen all his small wounds heal, but the shoulder still felt bad. At least he could use it. But it still throbbed with a dull pain. He left Mikuzi and walked with a sense of purpose. He knew he needed another sword, but it was time he got his old one back.  
  
A nobleman lived in a mansion a short distance out of Maghin, and Syaoran approached his house and knocked on the door. A servant man answered the door. "Yes?"  
  
"I must speak to Master Yamazaki. He still lives here, correct?"  
  
"Excuse me, but what business could the Master have with you?" The servant examined Syaoran's clothes, which were fairly unimpressive.  
  
"I am an boyhood friend. I hit upon some misfortune..."  
  
"The Master does not give out money, especially to those pretending to be friends."  
  
"I don't want money. I gave something to Master Yamazaki that he was to watch for me, and now I need to reclaim it."  
  
The servant man sighed. "I don't believe I can bother the Master with such a trivial matter as yourself. Please leave, or be escorted."  
  
"No, just ask him! I'm Syaoran Li!" As Syaoran said it, Yamazaki appeared at the doorway.  
  
"Syaoran, I am surprised to see you here," he said. To the servant, "Please go about your business."  
  
"Yes, master."  
  
"So, I suppose you want the sword back," said Yamazaki, his attention back on Syaoran.  
  
"Yes. I told you I would never want it back, but I have no choice. I must not risk my battle without it."  
  
"Well, I did promise to give it to you if you did so happen to want it back." He clapped his hands. Syaoran scowled. Yamazaki reminded him too much of how his family was, totally reliant on the servants. He wasn't always like that. In some ways, being exiled from his family had made him happy. In others, though...  
  
"Here you are," said Yamazaki, handing him the sword, its appearance deceptively simple. "Have fun."  
  
"Yamazaki...how is are my sisters?"  
  
"They are well. I do believe they miss you, Syaoran. A shame about what happened."  
  
"Yes. Thank you, Yamazaki."  
  
"Whatever you are going to do, Syaoran, good luck."  
  
************  
  
Syaoran examined the sword. It was exactly as he had left it. From his pocket he picked out a magic incantation written on a special paper. The magic only worked when used with the sword he now held in his hand. He felt ready for anything.  
  
The castle seemed more heavily guarded. Syaoran didn't have the luxury of a diversion this time, either. He felt personally responsible for Sakura, since he talked her into making the diversion. And now she was jailed.  
  
Just as he was walking around the castle, two guards grabbed him. He fought against them, but they held tight. "The King's advisor would like to see you. He says he has been expecting you."  
  
Syaoran kept his face expressionless. At least this way he'd be in the castle. "Lead me to him." The guards brought Syaoran into the center court of the castle, where a fountain elaborately bubbled, and dozens of types of flowers grew.  
  
Clow Reed was there to greet him, but Syaoran did not recognize him. He waved the guards away, and they bowed and left. "Syaoran, you finally came."  
  
"Where is she?"  
  
Clow did not answer. Instead he said, "The Li clan should not have made you a rogue. You are more dangerous than they could have guessed. I can feel it. You can make everything they and I've worked for moot."  
  
"I just want to get Sakura out of here. If you won't help me, then get out of my way."  
  
"You couldn't stop me from stopping you," said Clow. "I'm afraid, however, that you are too dangerous to leave alive." He waved his arm, and a fireball flew from it toward Syaoran. He tried to dodge it, but was too slow, and was flung backwards to land several feet from where he had been, his shoulder screaming.  
  
"Don't worry, I'll take care of Sakura. She could be useful. I can use her like I do my current assistant. I think you know her. A Lady Aneko." Syaoran's eyes opened wide in shock. "Yes, she is my little...apprentice...of sorts."  
  
Syaoran pushed himself back off the ground. "You, you are the one who ordered them killed. You knew all along, didn't you!" he growled.  
  
"Yes," said Clow. "But you wouldn't give up those kids. I needed you to do so to lure you out, and test you. I wanted you to be on my side. But, no, that is not possible. You are too defiant, too much of a lone wolf when it comes to important matters. I don't need that."  
  
Syaoran did not say anything more. He brandished his sword, and Clow's eyebrow rose. "Surely you don't think a toy like that could harm me?" Syaoran threw a magic incanataton up and pressed the flat part of the blade up against it, as he used to do every day in training. But the size of the fireball was larger than he had ever made. The anger burning inside him saw to that. His anger was intense, and it powered up his attack and made the ball shine a brilliant white-hot, instead of the normal red. Clow grew slightly worried, as he watched the fireball form in such a short time.  
  
Syaoran cried out, and the fireball shot out faster than Clow had ever seen magic travel. He could not lower a shield quickly enough and it exploded in his chest, sending him reeling backward. He crumpled to the ground, breathing heavily. Rising slowly, he noticed Syaoran was gone. Slamming his fist into the grass, he tried to make sense of what had happened.  
  
"The boy was strong enough to knock even ME to the ground!" he said, furious.  
  
"You should not have taunted him," said Aneko coolly. "That increased his power."  
  
"Dammit!" Clow snarled. "How foolish am I, to have allowed him to live so long? His powers have been dramatically underestimated, even by me! I must kill him!"  
  
"Come, Master, I shall dress your wounds." She pointed to his chest, where all the clothing had burned away and the skin was raw and bright red.  
  
"Never before," said Clow slowly. "Have I been beaten like that. But, I can only be surprised once. Never again."  
  
******************************************  
  
Continued in Chapter 5 


	5. Leaving

CHAPTER 5 - Leaving  
  
Wind magic blew the guards away from Syaoran as he went down the corridors and twisting staircases to the prison. He'd never been to the prisons, even as a boy exploring the castle. They had always been off-limits. Yet something seemed to be directing him in the right direction. He knew internally where to find Sakura.  
  
Soon he entered a damp and dark room, with the only lights a small candle on an absent guard's desk and another small candle from one of the cells inside. There were no windows. The lone guard was down by the cell with the light, and Syaoran came down after him. By the time the guard noticed Syaoran, it was too late, and he had received a blow to the back of the head sure to keep him knocked out for a while.  
  
"Syaoran!?" said Sakura from inside the cell in an astonished tone.  
  
"Don't worry, we'll get you out of here."  
  
"You stupid fool, why did you risk yourself to come here!" she said, with false anger.  
  
"Because it's my fault you're in here." Syaoran tapped at the bars with his sword, trying to find a weak spot to attack.  
  
"Use the keys on the guard, genius," called a voice from in the cell with Sakura, one he didn't recognize.  
  
"You have someone else in there?" asked Syaoran.  
  
"Yes, sort of," said Sakura. "He's a gift from Mistress Mizuki. His name's Keroberos."  
  
"Well, hurry up!" said Kero, impatiently. "We can all talk later."  
  
"All right," grumbled Syaoran. That Keroberos was going to be a thorn in his side. He could just tell. Searching the guard, he found a set of keys. It took a couple tries, but he found one that worked, and he swung the unlocked door open.  
  
Sakura bounded out, wrapping him in a short hug. "Thank you for coming back!"  
  
Syaoran just nodded. Kero interrupted them both. "Hey! Let's go!"  
  
***********  
  
"Mistress Mizuki!" called Sakura into the bakery. It seemed empty.  
  
"I wonder where she went," said Syaoran. "But we can't wait around forever. We need to leave this town as soon as possible."  
  
"But you said she wanted to see me before we left."  
  
"Don't worry, children," said Mizuki, from the doorway she was entering. "I'm here, and I won't keep you long." She grasped Sakura's face into her hands. "You're going to find things much different from here on out, but don't worry, because everything shall work out in the end." Seeing Sakura's quizzical look, she laughed. "You'll see." Mizuki closed her eyes and instructed Sakura to do the same. "I have to give you something you need."  
  
Kero realized what Mizuki was going to do. "No," he said. "You can't give her that."  
  
"It'll be all right, Keroberos," Mizuki said calmly. "Sakura, I don't have much magic, but I'll give it to you, to get you started." Sakura started to say something in protest and confusion, but Mizuki put a finger to her lips. "You have magic abilities, but its latent right now. My magic will help you get started."  
  
"She has magic? They both do?" cried Syaoran. "I didn't feel it, though." He searched deeply into Sakura, trying to find it, but the best he could do was a small feeling that something was there, although he couldn't say if it was magic or not.  
  
"That's because she is only showing a tiny amount," said Kero. "She's never used it at all, I'd be willing to guess. A few more years of disuse could cause her to lose the ability all together. As for Kaho, she hides it well."  
  
"Sakura, relax, and be willing to accept the magic," commanded Mizuki. Sakura fell limp into a trance-like state, held up by Mizuki. Syaoran watched closely. He'd never seen anyone attempt to transfer magic from one person to another, and it intrigued him. "Now, take it." A bright light suddenly emerged from Mizuki, in the form of a small ball. Syaoran recognized the ball as Mizuki's magic ability. Judging from its size, he could tell Mizuki had understated how much she actually had. The ball floated in the air for a moment, before settling onto Sakura, then entered her body. She let out a short gasp, then was quiet again.  
  
"Is she going to be okay?" said Syaoran, a little nervously.  
  
"She will," said Mizuki, looking suddenly haggard. "She'll need to sleep a little, however."  
  
"And you?" said Kero. "How are you going to be?"  
  
"I am fine. I have done what I wanted. Sakura will be able to do what I have always hoped to do," said Mizuki. Syaoran realized she was really very old. And thin and tall! The magic had been hiding her years and appearance. "Syaoran, can you take her to my bed? I don't think I can anymore." Syaoran nodded and carried Sakura upstairs. When he was out of earshot, Mizuki said, "She can cure Clow Reed."  
  
"Cure him?" said Kero. "He's not sick, only drunk with power."  
  
"That is what Sakura will cure him of." Mizuki sighed, and lay down. "I don't have much longer. It's amazing what losing one's magic ability can do to one."  
  
"What?" said Kero. "I knew this wouldn't be a good idea!"  
  
"Listen, Kero, you wanted to leave Clow Reed because he was becoming something you hated. He was ambitious for the throne of Maghin, and once he became advisor to the King, he made the King his puppet."  
  
"Yes, Clow is the true ruler of the empire. I know that."  
  
"And, do you remember a man, one who Clow had killed?" Kero always had trouble remembering his time with Clow Reed, although it was longer than a normal human's lifetime. Something seemed to interfere with his memory, and only allowed him to recall certain things at certain times.  
  
"I remember, someone...a name..."  
  
"Kinomoto?" helped Mizuki. Kero nodded. "Fujitaka Kinomoto, who was strong enough to stop , when the disease struck."  
  
"The disease made by Clow," said Kero angrily, the memory clear in his mind. "That's when I wanted to leave! He not only killed the man, he made sure to kill the entire family! His wife, and his two kids..."  
  
"No," said Mizuki. "He tried to kill them all. But one of them survived." Kero shook his head sadly.  
  
"That disease was enough to take out anybody. No one could have fought it off with all the medicines in the world."  
  
"But one did fight it off. Kinomoto's daughter. I suppose you don't remember that it was you who brought her to me. Perhaps one day you will. It came close to taking her with her family, but it didn't. And this girl, the one upstairs, is that daughter."  
  
Kero looked up to Mizuki. "Sakura is Kinomoto's daughter!?"  
  
"Yes. That's why I've helped her out these years. I needed to keep her alive until the situation changed such that she would be ready to help Clow, while not keeping her under my roof, where Clow would be sure to put two and two together. Which meant I had to keep Sakura living in that burned-out old building. She had to stay hidden from Clow, but I still feel badly for it."  
  
"If Clow knew a Kinomoto had survived..." Mizuki nodded. She turned her frown into a smile.  
  
"You know, Keroberos, he was a good man." Kero gave her a look of disbelief. "He was. And I loved that good man." Mizuki sighed. "I want that man back, but I'll never get it. I just hope Clow becomes that, one day. A good man. That would make me happy."  
  
"Kaho..."  
  
"Kero, you have the job of protecting Sakura until she becomes strong enough. Clow knows who she is now, I believe, so it will be difficult. He knows she could be as strong or stronger than Fujitaka, in time. And you must protect Syaoran, as well."  
  
"Why him?"  
  
"Because, he is important as well, but in a different way."  
  
"I can't leave you, though, Kaho, after all you've done for me!" Kero cried. "You took me in, and hid me from Clow as well!"  
  
"Its my fault you're stuck in your current form. When you first came, you told me to hide you. So I put you into the stuffed animal form, and made you sleep until it was time for you to reawaken. And that time has come. You must leave with them, because I'll be leaving you soon. I want you to leave with them before I die. I don't want them to know I've died." Kero tried to say no, to get her to stop saying such foolish things, but he knew she was right. Without her magic, she was just an eighty-six year old woman with no ability to keep her body thinking it was still young, and when she wanted to die, she would.  
  
"Good-bye, Kaho," said Kero.  
  
Mizuki smiled. "Good-bye, Keroberos. I'm sorry things had to turn out this way." Mizuki closed her eyes, and fell into a deep sleep. Kero could hear breathing, but it was irregular and laboring. He turned away from her.  
  
"Clow, a good person?" he said to himself. "It couldn't be possible. I can only remember so much of Clow, but all of it is bad." He went upstairs, to Syaoran and Sakura. She was lying on the bed, looking very peaceful. The boy was sitting in a chair beside it. "Come on," said Kero to him. "We're going to leave now."  
  
"But..."  
  
"We can't stay any longer. Clow will have guards here soon. Besides, travel is better for us at night."  
  
"What about Mizuki?"  
  
"She'll be all right, don't worry about her," said Kero, trying to mask the sorrow in his voice. "As for Sakura, you'll need to carry her yourself for a little ways. I think you'll be fine with that." Syaoran blushed and did not argue, confirming Kero's suspicion. Perhaps that was why Mizuki said he was important. If Syaoran was important to Sakura, then he needed to be protected as much as Sakura. Kero did not know how Sakura would handle losing another person she cared for after losing her entire family, and he didn't want to find out. He didn't know Sakura very well, but he did know she was very caring and took the loss of anyone she knew very hard.  
  
***********************************  
  
Continued in Chapter 6 


	6. The Road to Rufley

CHAPTER 6 - The Road to Rufley  
  
"Where are we going?" asked Sakura from Syaoran's back. "And why are you carrying me?"  
  
"Because you'll be too out of it to walk yourself," said Kero in answer to the second question.  
  
"I don't think so," said Sakura adamantly, then ruining the effect by yawning.  
  
"Just relax," said Syaoran. He felt her breathing become soft and unwavering, and Kero waited until he was sure she was back asleep before speaking.  
  
"Where are we going, anyway?" said Kero.  
  
"To Turento," Syaoran replied.  
  
"That's a long ways away."  
  
"Yes, but I think it'll be worth it. From there, I can use the seals of the King to make people think we are of a noble family. Then I think we can make it so Turento launches an attack on Maghin and the evil King."  
  
"You want to attack the most powerful empire in the world?" said Kero. "That's going to take quite a force. Besides, the King isn't the evil one, he's being controlled by Clow."  
  
"Who is does this Clow think he is, anyway? I beat up a guy who had strong magic and said he was the King's advisor, could he be him?" Syaoran thought back to the scene in the courtyard. He didn't believe the fireball he made was his own, but it seemed to have taken a lot of frustration, anger and sadness with it. He hadn't felt as depressed as he had before.  
  
"If you beat him up, as you say," said Kero, "I doubt you fought Clow. He is the most powerful sorcerer the world has ever seen. He made me, a fact I'm not too proud of, though. Doubtless, Clow was behind the whole thing, even if you didn't fight him in the courtyard."  
  
"Then who was it I fought?" said Syaoran. "Because the fire he hit me with hurt a lot. I'd never seen anything like it until my own fireball."  
  
"I wonder if Clow has more sorcerers and magicians in his army," mused Kero. "Although, where could he find them? It's not like magic is all that common these days."  
  
"Never mind that. I think we can get help in Turento." Syaoran paused, and then noticed the sun was returning for dawn. "Time to set up a camp for the day." Sakura wasn't exactly a heavy load, but it was still tiring walking with her on his back. When Kero agreed, he let out a breath of relief, and they chose an area where a large group of trees grew close together.  
  
"It's likely they're send out patrols after us, so we have to stay hidden," Kero had said as they left Maghin initially.  
  
When Sakura woke up next, she immediately offered to help make some of the tea Mizuki had provided in one of the big packs Syaoran had been carrying in addition to her, but Syaoran and Kero denied her the opportunity.  
  
"I feel fine!" she said, more forcefully than before. And this time it wasn't even punctuated with a yawn. "Really, I do, although...I do feel a different kind of fine. It makes me feel happy."  
  
"It must be Kaho's magic," said Kero. "It's starting to meld with your own."  
  
"I hope she'll be okay, without her magic. I don't want to be responsible..."  
  
"You're not!" said Kero, a little quickly and loudly. Syaoran and Sakura both turned to look at him. "She made the decision herself, its her fault." Kero turned to the cured meat Syaoran was roasting over the small fire, giving Syaoran instructions. Syaoran, for his part, didn't think he was doing anything wrong. Sakura felt like she needed to get some energy out of her.  
  
Sakura stood up, wobbling at first, but she soon had a steady step. "I'm going to take a little walk," she said, but Kero and Syaoran didn't seem to hear her, as both were arguing over the meat. Not wanting to get involved in the middle of that, she left them silently and examined the trees around her. A small squirrel that jumped from one tree to another right overhead made her yelp, but that was the only highlight of the trip. When she returned, she realized she was trying to push herself too hard, and felt very tired again. Kero was going to remind her of it, though.  
  
"What are you doing, running off like that!?" he demanded, scolding like a parent. "That's dangerous by yourself no matter what, and with your condition..."  
  
"Calm down, Kero, I didn't go far." Sakura let out another yawn, and lay down in the grass by the warm fire. The day seemed to have a chilly air to it.  
  
"Before you go back to sleep," said Syaoran. "You should eat something. You should be hungry, since you must've not eaten much in the prison."  
  
Sakura did suddenly feel very hungry, now that Syaoran mentioned it. "She didn't get anything the whole time I was there," said Kero. "The guard would normally eat any food sent down, or throw it on the ground if he wasn't hungry." Sakura looked downcast, remembering it as Kero told it. "And she only had a little bread since she got out. You'll eat this, now!" said Kero, himself forceful and adamant.  
  
"Okay, okay!" said Sakura. "Don't worry about me so much, I've lived for long periods of time with only Mizuki's bread to sustain me. I'll be okay."  
  
"But you don't have to, not anymore," said Syaoran in a subdued tone.  
  
Sakura accepted the meal and she and Syaroan ate in silence. Kero refused to accept any food, as much as he wanted it, because he didn't really need it. It was going to be a long trip, and food had to be conserved as much as possible, according to him.  
  
When night fell once again, the three set out again to continue the journey.  
  
*************  
  
In three weeks, Sakura had slowly gained back all the energy she had before Mizuki's magic entered her. Kero said her body was used to the magic and had combined it with the internal magic she already had. As they passed through various small towns, quickly of course, and only to resupply, because they were still a part of the Maghin empire, Sakura and Syaoran both saw new sights they had never seen before, such as the traveling acts that provided entertainment in inns of small towns, and the more frightening drunken brawls that sometimes provided its own form of entertainment in inns of small towns.  
  
The next big town they were scheduled to visit was called Rufley. Kero was amazed at how well Syaoran knew his geography. "I thought you were just a homeless kid?" he asked.  
  
"I wasn't always one," he said.  
  
"What happened?" asked Sakura. Then she looked embarrassed when she saw his grim face. "Sorry! If you don't want to tell, that's okay."  
  
"No, you might as well know. Remember that night we met, and I told you I forgot my last name?" Sakura nodded, and he continued, "Well, I didn't forget, but I wanted to. It was Li."  
  
"Li?" Sakura said. "I've heard of that name, I think. Famous for their skill with magic."  
  
"That's not surprising, they are very famous in the world."  
  
"And based in Turento..." said Kero. "Wait. I know of the Li clan. They had affiliation with Clow Reed."  
  
"Yes," sighed Syaoran. "They helped him do things that they should have instead condemned because he promised to get them control over the throne in Turento in exchange for their help. And they accepted his offer. The Li clan offered advise in Clow's ascension to King's advisor, and helped with any killings or otherwise shady dealings Clow required. It was very unlike the Li clan, but my mother is not a good judge of what is right and wrong."  
  
"You talk as if you are not one of the Li clan," said Sakura.  
  
"I am not. I was disowned."  
  
"That's terrible," said Sakura, trying to make her voice soothing.  
  
"My mother said I was too weak and useless. She always said that. That I would never amount to anything worthwhile. I got tired of hearing it. When Yamazaki told me he was going to Maghin, he also explained that I was only a few days away from being kicked out of the Li clan in front of everybody. So I begged him to allow me to stow away on one of his wagons, and he agreed to.  
  
"We came to Maghin, going seperate ways, and I lived in the streets for a year or so before I dug out the cave. Before I knew it, I was helping other kids survive out there, and the place was soon filled with poor children whose parents had either died or who had kicked them out of the home. I did amount to something, but not in power. That's what my mother was concerned about."  
  
"Power isn't everything," said Sakura.  
  
"To my mother, it is. Wrong or right, that's how it is. So when I found the guards had killed all the kids, I thought about how weak I was, and how I couldn't protect them."  
  
"You weren't even there to do anything about it. In fact, that's why they did it when you were gone." Syaoran started to ask how this was supposed to help, but Sakura wouldn't let him talk. "They knew you would be strong enough to make what they did differently. So they waited until they knew you'd be gone for a day or so to do it."  
  
"Then I never should have left!" he said, resenting himself.  
  
"No, you had to leave sometime. No one can just stay in that cave forever."  
  
"You're right. Aneko, the one I trusted with them all, was really on Clow's side. He knew what I was doing for such a long time. And he waited for the perfect time to do it. I should have figured it out, but I didn't. I wasn't smart or strong enough to see it."  
  
"Who would have guessed?" said Sakura. "I doubt I would have noticed, either."  
  
"You have more power than you or your mother seem to believe," said Kero, suddenly entering the conversation again. "I can feel it. But you, like Sakura, have a lot of it hiding somewhere inside of you, needing to be drawn out."  
  
"But, how do we draw it out?" said Sakura.  
  
"Well, you have to use magic to make it stronger."  
  
"I don't know how, though."  
  
"I need to find out how to get you to use it. Usually someone doesn't start casting magic at your age, they do it much sooner. That's because the longer you wait, the harder it is." Seeing Sakura hang her head, he said quickly, "Don't worry, though, if anyone can get you casting magic, it's me!" Turning to Syaoran, he said, "Obviously you can cast magic. But if you keep relying on the magic contained in those papers you carry, you'll never achieve your full potential."  
  
"But...the Li clan always uses the incantations and they are considered the strongest magic users in the world after Clow himself," said Syaoran.  
  
"Then you can outdistance them all," said Kero.  
  
"It looks like both of us have a long way to go," said Sakura.  
  
The next day, the three entered the town of Rufley, with Syaoran's mind still on the Li clan and his mother.  
  
*****************************  
  
Continued in Chapter 7 


	7. A Fourth For Travel

CHAPTER 7 - A Fourth for Travel  
  
Kero explained the town of Rufley, as he knew it. "It is on the outskirts of Maghin rule, but although technically within its borders, they don't like to consider themselves anything but their own nation. They raise their own military, and have their own leader who rules like a king, although he has to swear fealty to Maghin. And they don't pay much tax money to Maghin. For their part, Maghin doesn't want to expect much, because war with Rufley would be costly. So Rufley is very independent."  
  
"Who rules here?" asked Sakura.  
  
"I don't know."  
  
"It doesn't matter. We're only here to pick up more food and move on," said Syaoran impatiently. "But, I think we may sleep at an inn here. It'd be nice to sleep on an actual bed, since we have some money from that work we did in the farm just outside of town."  
  
"Not a lot of coin," said Kero, eyeing the bag of money that hang from a loop in Sakura's breeches. "Probably enough for a small room with one bed. Especially in this town, at this time of year. Prices are high right now since the merchants are in full force, traveling through the area."  
  
"One bed?" said Sakura, eyeing Syaoran. "I don't think..."  
  
"Well, Sakura should have the bed," said Syaoran quickly. "I can see if I can sleep in a hayloft or something."  
  
"That wouldn't be fair," said Sakura, just as quickly. Kero rolled his eyes at the pair.  
  
"Doesn't matter," said Kero. "We need to use the money to buy food. We can't be stealing it like in other towns. This place has an excellent military force, and the soldiers are the ones who patrol the streets and protect from thievery."  
  
"Fine," said Syaoran. "I won't steal any food here."  
  
"Good," said Kero.  
  
"Can we at least have a little money to maybe get a hayloft?" said Syaoran. "They're actually rather comfortable, once you get used to the straw jabbing at you through your clothes."  
  
"All right," said Kero. "You take a little money and find yourself a hayloft, and Sakura and I will buy the food we need."  
  
"Hey, that straw doesn't sound too inviting!" complained Sakura. But Syaoran was already on his way to an inn. "Ugh," she said. Resigned to sleeping in the straw, she said, "Okay, let's fill these packs back up with food."  
  
"Are you absolutely sure you'd be against sharing a bed with him?" asked Kero slyly, elbowing her for effect. She became very flustered.  
  
"No. Yes. I mean, I don't know." She shook her head to clear it. "I think it's too early for that, and besides, we shouldn't be worried about things like that yet." It sounded good enough to her.  
  
"Of course," said Kero. "We shouldn't be worried about things like that yet," putting emphasis on the last word.  
  
"Let's just get the food, okay, Kero?" said Sakura, turning away from him as she felt her face become hot.  
  
"Someone looks a little red around the cheeks," teased Kero, refusing to let up. Sakura stalked off in the direction of a fruit seller. "Hey, where are ya going, Sakura?" Kero was now struggling to keep from laughing out loud.  
  
"Glad you can keep yourself amused, making fun of me," said Sakura. Kero continued to laugh, only stopping when people came near, so no one would hear.  
  
**************  
  
Syaoran didn't seem to find the hayloft troublesome, as he was soon fast asleep, as was Kero. But Sakura could not shift into any position without feeling a sharp piece of straw poke her and cause her to jump up. Finally she gave up and went below the inn's hayloft to the horses that were stabled there underneath it.  
  
Horses had always intrigued her. She found them majestic and beautiful creatures, no matter what kind of horse. One time a horse trader had laughed and mocked her when she told him all his horses were perfect, and pointed out one who had high shins and a thin build. Sakura couldn't see many differences between the horses, and to her eyes the build didn't seem much thinner than any other horse, and the shins the same height as any other horse. That man had always bothered her.  
  
She pet one horse, a mild-mannered chestnut one with a thick mane. It accepted her immediately, and didn't nip or fight when she stroked it. "Such a good horse," she cooed to it, and was amused to hear it neigh softly.  
  
Footsteps came into her hearing, and she remembered the innkeeper demanding a promise that if they were going to sleep in the hayloft, they could do so for a cheap price, but they couldn't come down and touch the horses. Sakura panicked and scampered back up to the hayloft, trying to hide and finding herself just settling in when someone in a dark cloak entered the stable. Sakura felt a particularly long piece of straw pierce her in the ribs, and she held back her squeal of surprise and stayed unmoving, not wanting to attract attention from the person in the stable.  
  
The person removed the cloak, and Sakura saw a girl about her age with a long black ponytail. The girl seemed to be in a hurry, and worked quickly. She grabbed the reins of the chestnut horse Sakura had just been petting. The girl looked around, and her eyes met Sakura's, who suddenly wanted to shrink back into the straw, but who couldn't seem to move.  
  
"Who's up there?" the girl called to her, moving toward the hayloft. "I know someone's up there, now show yourself, or I'll come up there." She removed a small dagger from a hilt around her waist and waved it around. Sakura saw it and became even more nervous than before. "I mean it. And I know how to use this dagger, too." Her actions with it, the waving and fumbling as she almost dropped it, seemed to suggest otherwise, but she had more than Sakura did in terms of weapons, and at least as much skill, since she herself had very little it was almost none. "I can see you. Now come down, or I'll throw this at you." Sakura knew she had to come down, so she did, slowly.  
  
"I won't do anything to you!" she said as nonthreatening as was humanly possible.  
  
"You don't look dangerous," the girl said, slightly insultingly. "I don't think you were hired by that innkeeper to guard these horses."  
  
"No, I'm just sleeping here to save money."  
  
"Alone?" asked the girl suspiciously, still holding the dagger ready to stab at Sakura, who was acutely aware of its presence.  
  
"Well, no, my traveling partner is asleep. And he's very hard to wake up."  
  
"You and a boy are traveling alone? What, were you in love but your families didn't approve?"  
  
Sakura decided that sounded plausible and was better than the truth. "Yes," she said, trying her best to sound in love, however that was supposed to sound. She wasn't sure, but the girl seemed to buy it. She looked triumphant.  
  
"I can usually tell what people are doing," she said.  
  
"Well, you certainly have me pegged," chuckled Sakura, silently wishing one of those numerous guards Kero was raving about would make an appearance, what with the dagger dangerously close.  
  
"I am leaving my family myself, because they make me dress in ugly frilly dresses and uncomfortable heels instead of good wool and stout boots."  
  
"Oh, a dress. I haven't worn one in so long."  
  
"You are obviously not from a noble family like myself."  
  
"I was," said Sakura sadly. Suddenly she snapped up. "Hey, if you're from a noble family, you probably don't have any horses here, at an inn!"  
  
"Yeah, yeah, okay, okay, I'm stealing the horse!" admitted the girl heatedly. "I'm going to leave enough gold to buy three more of the same quality, so its okay."  
  
"No," said Sakura, "that horse's owner might have an attachment to it, that money could not cover."  
  
The girl looked at Sakura searchingly. "I doubt it. I chose this horse because the owner likes to abuse its kind nature. I'm doing the horse a favor."  
  
"But, as Syaoran explained to me, stealing is only okay if you have to do it to survive. I'd be willing to bet you have horses of your own, if you have a noble home."  
  
"Great, I come here trying to get a horse and this goody-goody tries to stop me," the girl lamented. "Well, it isn't going to work. Now, promise you'll tell no one!"  
  
"I can't not tell anyone!" The girl brought the dagger closer to Sakura, who took a step backward. "You can't bully me with that thing," she said, sounding a lot braver than she really was.  
  
"Oh really?" the girl said, her tone turning dark. She moved closer to Sakura, who kept moving back until her back was against the wall of the stable, the hayloft above her. The girl walked right up to her, face to face. "No one knows."  
  
Sakura could feel herself being bullied. Also it seemed she was sweating. "Fine, fine!" she said. "I won't tell anyone."  
  
"I don't believe you." the girl said. "I think you have to come with me."  
  
"What!?"  
  
"Come on, get on the horse, we're leaving now." The girl grabbed Sakura's shirt and attempted to drag her to the horse, but Sakura held her ground, and the weak muscled girl gave up.  
  
"You don't even know what you're doing," said Sakura, trying to keep herself and the girl calm. It seemed both were getting tense. "You can't kidnap me!" So much for keeping calm. But it seemed to work on the other girl, who had stopped shoving the dagger around Sakura's face.  
  
"Okay, that's true. This isn't my normal personality. But I'm leaving with the horse, and it doesn't matter who you tell, because I'll never return!"  
  
"What's going on?" demanded Syaoran, standing behind the girl. Sakura guessed he must have jumped down from the hayloft. When he saw the girl's dagger, he jumped at her, sword in hand, but Sakura stood in his path, causing him to halt. "Sakura?"  
  
"Don't hurt her, she's just confused," said Sakura, oozing empathy. Then she stopped. The girl had threatened her with a dagger!  
  
The girl, for her part, instantly tossed the dagger aside. "Don't hurt me!"  
  
"She's not that threatening, that's for sure," said Syaoran, eyeing the pleading girl. "I won't hurt you, since Sakura doesn't want me to. But I want to know what you are doing here."  
  
"My name is Tomoyo Daijoudi, and I'm running away from home because it is so boring and oppressive!"  
  
"Okay..." said Syaoran, obviously having received too much information. "Wait, did you say your name was Daidouji?" Tomoyo nodded. "Maybe fortune has shone on us."  
  
"How?" said Sakura.  
  
"We need to look like we come from a noble family, other than the Li one of course," he added sordidly, "and the Daijoudi family is one of the most powerful. At least, it was when I last heard."  
  
"It still is," said Tomoyo. "My mother is the ruler of the city."  
  
"Well, then, Tomoyo, you should come with us."  
  
"I don't think I want to travel with a lovestruck couple of runaways like you. I'd feel like a third wheel," said Tomoyo, sticking out her tongue. Syaoran looked to Sakura, who shrugged innocently. "Besides, I don't even know where you're going."  
  
"Turento," said Syaoran. "It's a beautiful city, you know, and well out of the way of Rufley, so you don't have to worry about your parents finding you."  
  
"Syaoran, you aren't seriously trying to convince her to run away from home!" shot Sakura.  
  
"She'll leave either way, and we could use her help," he replied sensibly. To Tomoyo, "It's a difficult world out there for a girl traveling alone. Especially if you can't tell them you're a noble and they think you're a commoner. They won't exactly be rolling out the red carpet. And they find out you have money with you, well, then, there'll be thieves crawling all over themselves to steal it. And don't forget the people out there who will manipulate you for your money if they don't outright steal it. And..."  
  
"Okay, Syaoran," said Sakura. "You've painted a bleak enough picture, I think..."  
  
"All right," said Tomoyo. "I'll go with you. But don't think pretending to be nobles will make me believe we are equals. You are still commoners."  
  
"You will be too, if you leave with us. I will not let anyone here think he or she is better than anyone else," said Syaoran, clinching his teeth as he said the last part.  
  
The girl eyed him, and assented. "Fine, I will consider myself a common person as well. I suppose I am, leaving my family."  
  
"Okay!" said Syaoran excitedly. "Sakura, prepare to become a Daidouji, if only on a piece of paper. We're going noble."  
  
*****************************  
  
Continued in Chapter 8 


	8. The Plans and Key

CHAPTER 8 - The Plans and Key  
  
Tomoyo wasn't going to steal a horse, because Sakura wouldn't let her, but she explained that under no condition would she travel by foot all the way to Turento. So Syaoran told her that she could buy a horse, and agreed to buy one for her, so no one would be suspicious, since Tomoyo buying a horse built for travel would be mightily so. As long as Tomoyo gave him the money, anyway, which she did.  
  
Syaoran picked out a slow, plodding horse that was physically built almost like a mule. He picked it out because it would be strong enough to travel with the packs and Tomoyo, whose complaint was that it was "ugly". Syaoran sighed and told her to find the inner beauty.  
  
Sakura could tell Tomoyo and Syaoran were not going to get along at first, which meant that he would be at a sort of odds with everyone he was traveling with except for herself. She played peacemaker as best she could in every situation.  
  
Kero, at least, seemed to take to Tomoyo. Once she got used to him, she accepted and even enjoyed his company. He told Sakura, out of earshot of anyone else, that Tomoyo must be important, or fate would not have brought them together. He seemed to believe fate had caused her to run into Syaoran, in what seemed like eons ago. He liked fate, and believed strongly in it. Sakura was not so sure everything was fate instead of coincidence, or even just something that happened with no real meaning, but didn't say so to Kero, because he seemed so sure, and she didn't have any facts to argue with.  
  
Tomoyo at first was hard to cure of her noble tendencies, but after sleeping in a few haylofts and being around the "crude" behavior of Sakura and Syaoran, she lightened up, and soon became more daring than even them. At one town, Yurru, she even came up to sing for a few hours to earn a room for herself, rubbing it in as Syaoran and Sakura settled into yet another hayloft in a stable. She had a good voice, Sakura decided, if not practiced, and might have been able to earn a living with it if she so chose.  
  
"A few more weeks," said Syaoran happily, on a day between towns, "and we'll be in Turento."  
  
"And?" said Tomoyo.  
  
"We announce that the young Lady Riya Daidouji has arrived, with two cousins. One will be named Kuno, that's me, and the other...Sakura?"  
  
"I'm...um, I forgot," said Sakura sheepishly. Syaoran groaned dramatically.  
  
"You can't forget your own name! It's okay, though, we still have some time for you to memorize it. Although, its not that hard. Say it with me, `Kutoe'. `Kutoe'."  
  
"Kutoe," said Sakura. "I don't like it. It sounds made up."  
  
"You can't have another, I've already written your document of nobility. Now, remember, you are Kutoe." Sakura grumbled over the choice of name while Syaoran continued.  
  
"Anyway, Lady Riya Daijoudi, you have arrived with cousins Kuno Daijoudi and Kutoe Daidouji," he pretended to not notice Sakura's icy glare as he said the name again, "and you seek an audience with Yelan Li. Alone."  
  
"Why alone?"  
  
"Because, she'll recognize me, and Sakura can't carry herself like a noble should. Trust me, I've watched her try when you attempt to give her lessons." Tomoyo giggled as Sakura fumed in consternation.  
  
"I never wanted to act noble," Sakura said defensively.  
  
"Then, in your meeting, you give Yelan this note, that's supposedly from Clow."  
  
"I don't understand," said Sakura. "If Tomoyo is going to do all the legwork, why do we have to be nobles and have made-up names. Couldn't one of us simply be Lady Riya's servant? Most nobles have at least one servant travel with them, right?"  
  
"That's true," said Tomoyo. "I should have a servant. Sakura, you should be my servant," she said just as Sakura was about to nominate Syaoran for the position.  
  
"That's not what I hoped for..." said Sakura weakly.  
  
"A Lady Daidouji needs a handmaiden to assist her in all important things, like dressing and bathing," said Tomoyo. "All the best nobles have them, and I'm supposed to be of the most important. And Syaoran could not be allowed to do such things." Sakura felt her throat dry.  
  
"I won't help you bathe!" she said indignantly. "No one should need help bathing."  
  
"You only have to pretend," said Syaoran, sensing Sakura might back out of being a servant and realizing it would be a good idea to have one. "Yes, a female servant for a female noble is perfect."  
  
Kero patted Sakura on the head. "Well, it was your idea."  
  
"Thanks for the support, Kero," she said. "I suppose I have no choice."  
  
"Okay, now that that's taken care of, what next?" asked Tomoyo. "What becomes of the note? And what does it say?"  
  
"It's very simple. It is a note that will appear to be written by Clow Reed. He is breaking off their treaty, saying the Li clan and the city of Turento is no longer necessary or useful. This will make Yelan feel dishonored. She will want to war with Maghin. She would not try to do something sensible and confirm the note." Syaoran finished with a tone of satisfaction over a fail-safe plan.  
  
"That's all very nice, but I don't know if Turento can win, even with the support of the Lis," said Kero. "The Maghin Empire has more than just the main forces in the capital. Rufley has a good solid force, and will probably side with Maghin, just because it likes the situation its in now and would not want to be on the side that loses against Maghin. Clow had a reputation of oppressing conquered territory. Not to mention the individual militaries contained in Porry, Maken, and Perserdes. All three alone are dangerous, but together with Maghin and Rufley make a combination that may be unbeatable. And let's not forget, any strong military was originally squashed by the immense power of Clow and the army in Maghin itself."  
  
"Well, winning a war will be a problem only once its started. And nothing is unbeatable, not even Clow," said Syaoran.  
  
"Perhaps, and Turento is probably the second strongest power in the world, but it would need the help of some of the other independent nations, maybe all of them, to have even a moderate chance of winning. All I'm saying is, we should at least wait until we've thought this through."  
  
"Kero is very smart in these areas," said Sakura, a little astonished.  
  
"I guess," admitted Syaoran grudgingly.  
  
"Let's camp somewhere for a few days and really think it through," said Kero. First we'll see if we can't track down a reliable and current map of the world, and try and guess who will side with who."  
  
"No hurry," said Sakura. "A war can wait a few days, can't it, Syaoran? As well as my term as servant, that can wait too."  
  
"All right," said Syaoran. "We won't rush into anything."  
  
"Now you're thinking smart," said Kero, "or as I like to call it, thinking the `Kero Way'." Syaoran groaned.  
  
**************  
  
It was a day later that Syaoran found the little key buried deeply in one of the sacks. He didn't know what to make of it. It didn't look like any key he had ever seen. A big white star centered in a pink circle formed the head of the key.  
  
"It must open a really impressive treasure chest!" said Tomoyo.  
  
"Not exactly," said Kero. "I've seen Kaho with it before. She must've sneaked it into the packs, hoping we'd find it later."  
  
"What does it do?" asked Sakura. She moved in close to it, and it glowed with energy. "That's strange."  
  
"It's meant for you, apparently," said Kero, as if it didn't surprise him. "But it won't do you any good right now...search the packs!" he ordered suddenly. "See if there are any hidden pockets or something. Kaho probably put the cards in there."  
  
"Cards?"  
  
"They were made by Clow, but a long time ago. Maybe it was before he turned bad. I don't know, but they only work with your staff." Sakura stared at the key, giving Kero a funny look. "It turns into a staff!" he asserted.  
  
Syaoran and Tomoyo dug through the packs while Kero showed Sakura how to turn the key into the staff, with the same star pattern at the top. Syaoran yelled out when he found some cards with a strange magic pattern on the back. "Clow's magic pattern," said Kero, staring at the cards.  
  
"That looks familiar," said Syaoran. "I've seen that before. At the courtyard in Maghin. Maybe I did fight Clow there."  
  
Kero ignored him, flipping through the different cards, each containing a different type of magic. Watery, Fly, Jump, Firey, Sweet, and more. Then he came to a pink one, Windy. "What happened to it?" asked Tomoyo. "It looks different than the others."  
  
Kero felt its magic, and felt Sakura's own inner magic. They were one and the same. "It's not a Clow Card anymore, its Sakura's own card. It must have transformed itself to her magic after being near her so long." Kero kept flipping through the cards, and found that two more of them had done like Windy: Shadow and Loop. Then he noticed another problem. "Hey, there is one missing! That's why I can't transform! Earthy is missing!"  
  
"Where do you think that one is?" asked Syaoran. "We should find it."  
  
"My best guess is its the only one Clow managed to keep Kaho from taking. She did say the collection was incomplete, now that I think back."  
  
"You mean Clow has that card? How can we get it back? It's too far to go back and get it!" said Sakura, worriedly. "And you need to transform."  
  
"Clow will bring it with him wherever he goes. For now, I think we can make your magic stronger in a hurry. You can change the rest of these cards into your own Sakura Cards. Start with an easier one that takes less energy. Try Fly." He handed her the card. "Now concentrate on it. Make it yours. Make it shed its old power and accept yours. Change it!"  
  
Sakura concentrated, but wasn't even sure what Kero meant, let alone what she should be concentrating on. Something clicked, and she suddenly felt like one with the card. Clow's magic seemed...benevolent, flowing in and out of her like a gentle wave on a beach. Nothing like the man himself. Maybe Kero was right, that the cards were made before he went bad. Slowly at first, but picking up pace, she replaced Clow's magic with her own, without really understanding how. It just came to her, like she had known all her life. After she was done, the card was pink like the other three.  
  
"Wow!" said Tomoyo. "It just changed!"  
  
"I feel sleepy," yawned Sakura.  
  
"It must've taken a lot of energy to change even this card," said Kero. "If you get tired after transforming every card, this will take a long time. But soon, you should be able to do it without sleeping, because your magic will be stronger, okay?" Kero's answer was a snore from the slumped over and sleeping Sakura. "I'll take that as a yes, I suppose," he said, laying her into a more comfortable position and covering her with a blanket.  
  
*******************************************  
  
Continued in Chapter 9 


	9. Meeting With Yelan

CHAPTER 9 - Meeting With Yelan  
  
By the time the group of four had reached Turento, Sakura had transformed half the cards, and most of what Kero called the `important ones.' Her magic had reached the point that she could transform two before she fainted away. Kero said it was encouraging.  
  
Once in Turento, they dressed Sakura in a plain white dress she disdained. Tomoyo wore an impressive-looking green dress with frills and ruffles. Included with this were three emerald rings and a jeweled tiara. She really looked the part of Lady Riya, although Sakura thought that maybe she was going overboard with the tiara.  
  
Syaoran was hiding himself deep within an oversized cloak with Kero. He felt too many people would know him if they got a good look at him, and Sakura could not take Kero into the Li residence, because so many of them had magic and would be able to feel his presence. Kero didn't think Sakura's magic was quite strong enough yet that they would notice it unless they were looking for it.  
  
The change in plans had Sakura going with Tomoyo into the castle as the Lady's servant. Syaoran would wait with Kero in an inn, while Tomoyo worked to get Yelan alone. Tomoyo had even given Sakura a new name: Saki, which she thought was an absolutely adorable nickname. Sakura preferred Kutoe, as bad as that was.  
  
The Lis had their own castle, even though they were not technically the rulers of any land. Turento had a king, but he was weak and powerless. He ruled in name only. The Li family had a stranglehold on the power in Turento, a fact virtually everyone knew, and it was because of Clow Reed. Sakura noticed that more people seemed to honor even the lowliest Li better than the king, giving anyone they knew was in the Li clan their deepest bow or curtsy.  
  
Tomoyo bought a nice looking horse, refusing to announce herself as royalty riding the "ugly packhorse", and rode it up to the castle gates, with a grumbling Sakura trailing it and dragging along the bags they had brought. The guards stopped Tomoyo, who announced herself.  
  
"I am Lady Riya Daidouji, speaking on behalf of the Duchess Sonomi Daidouji, who wishes me to have an audience with the Duchess Yelan Li on behalf of the King of Maghin." It didn't sound quite right to Sakura's ear, but apparently Tomoyo had thrown out enough names to impress anyone.  
  
"Duchess Li is currently away, but we will allow you to stay with us as a guest of honor, my Lady. The Duchess shall return shortly, and speak with you."  
  
"I am most appreciative," said Tomoyo. Sakura was getting tired of holding the bags and wanted to set them down, but didn't think it would look good. Although, she wasn't sure how a servant was supposed to act, since her father never had any, even though he was noble.  
  
"Follow me," said one guard, and he led the two girls inside the castle courtyard. A man came to take Tomoyo's horse. "Don't worry, he's very good with horses," said the guard, and Tomoyo nodded and allowed the horse to be led away.  
  
Once inside the castle itself, Sakura marveled at the architecture. Tomoyo elbowed her, whispering, "Don't look so awestruck. A servant is not to be looking impressed by anyone's beauty except for her mistress' own." The guard led them into the guest quarters, and showed Tomoyo to a room that Sakura felt could have been its own house.  
  
"I need My Lady's maiden to be in our records," the guard said. "Then she may stay in the servant's quarters. It's tight living, but the servants seem to enjoy each other's company." Tomoyo shook her head as Sakura gave her a wide-eyed look.  
  
"No, Saki stays with me." Sakura shuddered at the name. "I believe she will be more comfortable sleeping here," said Tomoyo.  
  
The guard shrugged. "I'll arrange for a small bed to be brought here, if that is what my Lady desires." He bowed deeply, and said, "My Lady is welcome to explore the castle, if she likes, and is welcome to take her maiden with her into most places."  
  
"Saki is very well behaved," said Tomoyo proudly. Sakura became angered, but managed to hold her fury in. At least until Tomoyo patted her on the head. Sakura growled, and fought off Tomoyo's arm. Tomoyo looked surprised, as did the guard, not used to seeing maidens who acted that way around someone with the rank that Lady Riya was supposed to have. "Well," she said, nervously, "most of the time. She is new to this, but she is also my favorite. I like her spunk." The guard bowed, clearly finding Sakura an odd servant, and left.  
  
"Spunk?" spit Sakura. "And what was with the petting? I'm not a horse!"  
  
"You are my maiden, and you need a little work at it. You're supposed to enjoy compliments and head patting. At least, all of the servants at the Daidouji residence do."  
  
"Well, I don't." Sakura sighed, and sat down on a wicker chair covered in pillows and lace. "And to have to play at this for days...until Yelan gets back!"  
  
Tomoyo smiled mischievously. "Saki is so cute when she gets angry." Sakura gave her such a look that Tomoyo thought she might bite her head off.  
  
*****************  
  
Dinner that night did not help matters. Sakura's duty was to stand behind Tomoyo and watch her eat the feast provided for her, as guest of honor. She could see no reason for her to be there, watching Tomoyo eat, however, and it bothered her. Her mouth watered over the roasted duck and turkey, complete with fresh fruits and vegetables. And some of the softest bread she had ever seen. Her teeth clenched over the fact that Tomoyo got to eat it while she stood and watched.  
  
Sakura was provided later with day-old bread and a rotten apple. "Typical servant fare," the boy who delivered it said. Sakura made a face, and left the castle, explaining that she was to do her Lady's business in the city. She left the rotten apple and rock-solid bread in Tomoyo's pack, where she would find it later that night, and smiled with satisfaction.  
  
"How are things going?" asked Syaoran when she met with him at his inn.  
  
"Oh, wonderful. Do you happen to have any food? I didn't get anything to eat in that place."  
  
Syaoran grimaced. "They treat noble guests very well, but the servants are not so lucky. I'll go order some nice stew. It's actually very good here." He went downstairs, and returned a few minutes later with a steaming bowl of the stew and a glass of water.  
  
"Yelan isn't here," said Sakura, between spoonfuls of stew. "She's supposed to be back `soon', whenever that is."  
  
"No, I'm sure she's there. She has a policy, `Don't let them think they're important'. She always finds a way to make even kings and queens wait a few days or even a week to see her," said Syaoran.  
  
"A week!" cried Sakura. "I can't do this servant crap very much longer."  
  
"Oh, come on, Saki," Syaoran teased, and Sakura hit him in the face with his pillow.  
  
"And this bed is better than mine," she said ruefully, bouncing on the mattress. "They brought me a board with an old, thin blanket. It's only slightly better than the one I had in jail!"  
  
"Remember why we're doing it," said Syaoran. "And of course my bed is nice, it's a nobleman's room. You get extra perks, like as much food as you want for no extra cost."  
  
"Yeah, well, I think you'll be getting me a lot of this stew, then," said Sakura. "Especially if its free. I won't eat their stupid rotten fruit."  
  
Syaoran laughed. "Okay, okay, you can have all the stew you want."  
  
Tomoyo burst into the room. "What a bad servant!" she cried, causing Sakura to drop her spoon in surprise. "Being in a room alone with a boy! And you," she said, pointing to Syaoran. "How could you try to bed my poor Saki! She wouldn't be able to say no to a noble, and you know it!"  
  
"Wha...?!" sputtered Syaoran. "Hey, wait a minute!"  
  
Tomoyo was followed in the room by two of the servants who lived in the Li castle. "These servants followed Saki here and saw her go into your room. One of them was good enough to come and warn me." She smiled at the servants and handed each a gold coin. They thanked her profusely. "Now, return with me to the castle, and we'll discuss punishment."  
  
Sakura looked at her stew, half full, and moaned. Tomoyo grabbed the stew and put it aside, and shook a last wagging finger at Syaoran. "Don't you go near her, do you understand?"  
  
"But...!" said Syaoran. Tomoyo didn't give him a chance to answer. She had Sakura by the ear and was dragging her out. When she was gone, Kero emerged and said, "Well, you've just earned yourself the reputation of a man who tries to intimidate and bed servant girls. Nice." Kero seemed amused.  
  
"Shut up," grumbled Syaoran.  
  
************  
  
"I'm so sorry," said Tomoyo when she and Sakura were back in Tomoyo's room at the castle. "They said they saw you, and I couldn't think of a way to explain it."  
  
"That was good stew, and I didn't get to finish it!" whined Sakura. "And now everyone probably thinks Syaoran is a disgusting creature who tries to bed servant girls who can't say no."  
  
"Yes, it is a mess. You should have been careful to make sure no one saw you!"  
  
"I didn't expect...hey, don't pin this on me!"  
  
"Well, now you just can't meet with Syaoran anymore, it's too risky if you're seen together again. I might have to punish you publicly." Sakura jumped up from the `bed' she had been laying in.  
  
"I have to, he's the only source of food I have!"  
  
"You have this," said Tomoyo, motioning to the apple and bread, as she pulled it from her pack. "Yuck," she said, smelling it. "Well, I'll see what I can do."  
  
Tomoyo was practically asleep the moment her head hit the pillow. Sakura went to sleep that night, but it was fitful. She just wanted her strange tenure as servant to be over.  
  
**************  
  
Despite Tomoyo's warnings, Sakura still left the castle at night to visit with Syaoran and eat the food he provided. Tomoyo only managed to bring up tiny morsels to Sakura, who still felt hungry after eating them. Also sitting around in the room while Tomoyo walked around with other nobles during the day made her itch to do something at night. So she sneaked out each night, wearing a cloak to conceal herself, and met Syaoran outside the inn, in a different location each night. He had a different food each time, too. "I've gotten friendly with the cook," he would explain each time. Sakura would just nod as she wolfed down the food. The cook was very good at what she did, Sakura was sure of that much.  
  
On the fifth day in the castle, Tomoyo was told she would finally get to see the Duchess, because she had recently returned from her trip and was fully recuperated. At least that was the story. Sakura was ecstatic, because they would be leaving soon. The two were led to the throne room, where Yelan met them, seated in a chair off the throne, an empty seat across from her.  
  
Once the Duchess Yelan was certain neither girl had any weapons, she snapped her fingers, and her servants left. The only three in the room were Tomoyo, Sakura, and Yelan.  
  
"Lady Riya, your presence is both welcome and surprising," she said to Tomoyo, the words not quite ringing true. Sakura doubted Tomoyo's presence was welcome. "We had not received word that you would be visiting," said Yelan, disapproval clear in her voice.  
  
"My apologies, Duchess, but the King of Maghin made it clear I should leave immediately."  
  
"Yes, of course, I understand." Sakura was beginning to despise the regal tones and formal language of the nobles. It was so boring and stiff.  
  
"I have come to deliver this to you personally. I do not know what it says, but the King said it was very important." Tomoyo handed the letter to Sakura, who trotted over to Yelan, curtsied while delivering the letter to the woman, and then obediently returned to Tomoyo, feeling good she had done her duty. She tensed as she realized Yelan was still looking at her. "This maiden of yours is very cute," Yelan told Tomoyo.  
  
"Isn't she, though," said Tomoyo, pride again touching her voice, making Sakura want to smack the pride right back out of her. "Saki is a good servant, although sometimes she can make bad decisions."  
  
"Yes, I've heard of her liaisons, running off to meet some noble man," Yelan said, an eyebrow up. Sakura felt red with embarrassment when Yelan said that, Syaoran popping into her head, but it turned to fury when Tomoyo signaled for her to kneel down. When she did so, she felt Tomoyo's hand stroke her head compassionately and simmered with anger. "I must say, the Daidouji's do pamper their servants."  
  
"They are very happy when you treat them well," said Tomoyo. Sakura felt demeaned. She couldn't imagine anyone being happy with this situation!  
  
"May I see her for a moment?" Yelan asked, and Tomoyo nodded. Sakura supposed she was to go visit Yelan, so she walked over to the Duchess and attempted a curtsy, but not having practiced much, and trying to go too low, she nearly fell over. Yelan had an amused look on her face.  
  
"Oh, she tries so hard to be good sometimes, it's adorable," Tomoyo said, the same amused look also on her face. Sakura decided Tomoyo would receive a slap for that later.  
  
Yelan cupped the kneeling Sakura's face in her hands, and stared into her eyes. Sakura felt unsettled, as if Yelan was looking into her soul. Then she realized the woman was finding her magic abilities, and she panicked, squirming away. Yelan raised her arm as if to slap Sakura, but then stopped, and let Sakura return to Tomoyo's side.  
  
"Oh dear," said Tomoyo. "She shouldn't run away like that. Well, rest assured she shall be punished for that. Although I do hate having to do that."  
  
"I find her to be interesting," said Yelan. Sakura kept her gaze on the floor, like a good servant. She suddenly had to urge to leave, but knew she could not do that. "I should like to purchase her from you."  
  
Sakura grew very nervous. Turning away from Yelan, she said, in as quiet a whisper as she could muster, "She saw my magic." Tomoyo seemed to hear, but gave no indication that Sakura had spoken.  
  
"I'm afraid I cannot sell Saki. She is my favorite."  
  
"You can get a new favorite, can you not? Besides, she seems to need some discipline. She will be better off here."  
  
"No, Duchess, I am not under authority to sell off servants."  
  
Yelan looked injured. Even Sakura, untrained to noticing those types of things, could tell it was being faked. "If that is so, it is so. I thank you for visiting me and giving me the letter. I only wish our friendship, the Li clan and the Daidoujis, went deep enough to where you could sell me that servant."  
  
Tomoyo rose and curtsied. "I'm sorry, I cannot. And I thank you for your hospitality."  
  
"It is late, Lady Riya. Please stay for one more night." As Tomoyo agreed, Sakura had to stifle a disappointed groan.  
  
*************  
  
"Thanks for not selling me," said Sakura, a hint of sarcasm in her voice, she and Tomoyo were back in their room in the castle for the last night, a fact Sakura was glad for.  
  
"You could use the discipline, though, Yelan was right about that," said Tomoyo.  
  
"You stroke me again like that in front of other people, I'll lose it."  
  
Tomoyo put her hands up. "Okay, okay." Sakura could hear Tomoyo's chuckling. Sakura as a servant had been a huge provider of amusement for all three of her friends.  
  
After Tomoyo went to sleep, Sakura stayed awake, as she had done every night. She wanted to get out and tell Syaoran that the letter was delivered, and to get ready to leave. As soon as she was putting on her boots to leave, however, she found Syaoran already at the window to the room.  
  
"Syaoran!" she said, "What are you doing here?"  
  
"I think you two should leave," he said as way of greeting.  
  
"We will in the morning..."  
  
"No," he cut her off, "now." His tone was deadly serious. "I overheard some soldiers outside talking. Yelan means to kidnap you and make it look like you ran away with me!"  
  
"Me?" cried Sakura. The sound of something big banged into the door and spooked Sakura, who shook Tomoyo somewhat violently. The other girl looked dazed and irritated.  
  
"What's the problem?" she asked, angry to have her sleep interrupted.  
  
"We should go now," said Sakura, already stuffing as much as she could into their sacks.  
  
"Don't worry about the stuff!" said Syaoran. "Let's just go!"  
  
Sakura had Tomoyo by the arm and was leading her still slightly sleepy form to the window when the door flew open, the battering ram held by four big men in armor suits being responsible. Tomoyo was now wide awake, and shrieked. Sakura shrank back toward the window.  
  
"Come with us, servant," said one of the armored men. "The Dutchess requires your presence."  
  
"No!" said Sakura. She reached down on the ground for anything, while she felt Syaoran leap over and in front of her.  
  
"Get out of here!" he said. "I'll meet you later."  
  
"But...Syaoran!"  
  
"Go!" he yelled, sword drawn. He was in a fighting stance, facing away from her.  
  
Sakura didn't want to leave, but finally helped Tomoyo out the window, and clambered out herself. The two ran through the castle grounds, and were met while running by Kero. He handed Sakura the key and cards. "You're going to need these, I believe." Sakura agreed when she saw more armored men in front of her. As the key turned into a staff, she hoped Syaoran would be okay.  
  
Continued in Chapter 10 


	10. War Brews

CHAPTER 10 - War Brews  
  
Syaoran faced down four men, their armor catching the moonlight through the window. Their gauntleted hands each held a large two-handed sword. Syaoran knew that it would be hard to fight all four at once without sustaining an injury.  
  
A woman's voice saved him. "The girl's not in there, so go find her!" The guards sputtered, but left the room, after giving a last glance to Syaoran. He did not lower his sword when he saw who it was that called the guards back.  
  
"Syaoran," she said. "What a surprise." She did not sound happy to see him, and the feeling was mutual.  
  
"Mother, or rather, Yelan," he said to the woman.  
  
***********  
  
Windy took care of the initial set of guards in her way, picking them up and depositing them on top of the castle, where they clung nervously to each other, but Sakura could see that there were many more still coming, and from all four directions. "Kero!" she said, frenziedly.  
  
"You can't fight them all off," he said. "So let's get out of here!" He shuffled her cards, and handed her Fly. She tapped it with her staff, and felt awe as the wings grew out from her back. Kero picked up Tomoyo in his mouth, and the three rose in the air.  
  
"Don't drop me," said Tomoyo. Kero mumbled something he hoped sounded reassuring. Looking below, he could see the astounded soldiers, mouths open, watching them leave. He would have laughed at them, but then he would have dropped Tomoyo.  
  
Once they landed well outside the castle, Kero said, "I'll show you where we'll meet Syaoran." He and Tomoyo started off, but Sakura did not move. "Hey, what are waiting for!"  
  
"I'm going back for him," she said, determination in her voice.  
  
"Are you nuts!" cried Kero. "You're the one they want in there!"  
  
"I'm going anyway!" she said, flying off without another word.  
  
"Geez," said Kero.  
  
"Sakura and Syaoran are much alike," said Tomoyo. "Both heroic and trying to save each other! Very admirable! I have this strange urge to want to put this scene on something we can look at later, but I'm afraid nothing like that exists yet."  
  
Kero declared all three of them crazy.  
  
***********  
  
"Why have you come back?" said Yelan, calmly watching Syaoran.  
  
"I'm with Lady Riya," he said.  
  
"And Saki?" she said, an eyebrow raised. "I assume she is not a servant, however. I would suspect the Lady Riya of trying to fake her way as a noble, but she looks very much the Daidouji."  
  
"Be assured, the Lady is no fake. And neither is the message." Syaoran had to make sure she didn't take the message lightly. "I am only along as her protection."  
  
"You are with the Daidouji family?" she said. "Why did no one there tell me? I would have paid a visit."  
  
"I am not really `with' them. I know Lady Riya as an acquaintance. Besides, I would not welcome your visit."  
  
A flash of agitation crossed the calm facade of Yelan, and was gone as quickly as it came. "I must wonder what the girl is doing with you two, then. It appears you know her magic capabilities as well as I do. But you are not strong enough to bring them out in her, and that is a shame. The girl needs guidance to become as powerful as she could possibly be, don't you agree?"  
  
"The worst thing for her would to become mixed up with you."  
  
"Syaoran, just because you are no longer my son does not mean you should treat me so roughly." Yelan paused to look deeply into Syaoran, and was surprised by what she found. "Syaoran, you're...you're..."  
  
"Powerful? No, I couldn't be," he said acidly.  
  
"But you are!" Yelan could not hide her disturbance. "How can that be? You were judged weak in magic by the elders!" Syaoran started to leave. "No! You can't leave! I want both you and the girl to join us!"  
  
"I don't want to." As soon as Syaoran said it, Yelan clapped her hands, and some lightly armored soldiers entered. They were Yelan's personal bodyguards, and all of them had powerful magic. Syaoran's expression did not change. He raised his sword, and reached for an incantation paper. Then he cursed as he realized he had left them with Kero, not expecting to have to use them, for he hadn't expected to encounter Yelan.  
  
"Attack him," commanded Yelan, "but let him live."  
  
"Syaoran!" called Sakura as she flew in the window, stopping the soldiers as they were advancing on Syaoran. "Come on, no need to fight them!"  
  
"Wings?" said Yelan, seeing the magical appendages sprouting from Sakura's back. "Only one person could do that, and you aren't him!"  
  
Sakura ignored her. "It's my turn to carry you," she said, grabbing Syaoran's hand, and the two leaped from the window, Sakura trying to get away as quickly as possible.  
  
The soldiers were too fast, however. They brought out their own incantation papers, and launched fireballs at them. Syaoran watched with horror as one struck Sakura in the back. She let out a little cry, the wings disappeared, and both of them hurdled back to the ground. He managed to land on his feet, but Sakura hit with a dull thud. He rushed over in time to absorb another attack that would have hit her. The fireball he took was weakened over the distance it traveled, and he shrugged it off.  
  
The soldiers were now augmented with the heavily armored ones without magic. Syaoran tried to concentrate on his own magic. He had been practicing casting using only the sword, without the incantation papers, but had so far been successful in making only a flame big enough to do little more than light a candle. Seeing Sakura's unmoving figure, he knew he needed to do more. And he'd have to learn to do so quickly. He concentrated on the sword, feeling its power...  
  
It came to him so fast he almost didn't notice it. Suddenly he was one with the sword's power. He struggled as the sword's power added to his own became almost more than he could bear. Managing to take control of it, he let the fire form on the tip the sword. Slashing the air with a flourish, the fire snaked out from the sword in a thick line, in the exact arc his sword was swung with. Soldiers fell over, finding armor melted away and thin but deep injuries on their bodies, and writhed with pain.  
  
Yelan watched impassionately. She had been surprised by so many things in such a short time that Syaoran using magic without a paper failed to work enough shock in her to get her to show reaction.  
  
Syaoran prepared another blow for the next line of soldiers, who were suddenly wary of approaching, when Sakura stirred. He knelt down to her. She seemed woozy, but carried no physical markings of injury. The fireball that hit her hadn't even burned away her dress. Despite his request that she remain laying, she stood up anyway, wavering. She grabbed the Fly card from the ground in front of her. "You can't," he said. "It would take too much energy."  
  
"I can get us far enough," she said, hitting the card with the staff. The wings reappeared, and she stumbled as Syaoran held her up. They rose slowly, Sakura gritting her teeth on the strain of using the magic. Syaoran let another line of fire go to keep the soldiers from trying anything. For their part, the soldiers dove out the way of the fire, and made no move to try and stop them from escaping.  
  
The two floated into the air, and over the castle walls. Then Sakura lowered, and as soon as they hit the ground, her wings were gone once again. Yawning, she leaned on Syaoran for support. Syaoran led her to the meeting place where Kero and Tomoyo would be waiting.  
  
*************  
  
Just as Syaoran had predicted, Yelan had instantly mobilized her troops for battle. Soldiers were called together, and they marched through Turento, along with those of Turento's own national guard, the very next day that she received the letter to put on a show before leaving to battle Maghin. As it turned out, only a few of the other nations even wanted to get involved, and all of those who did except for one sided with the more powerful Maghin. Kero said it didn't look good for Turento.  
  
"I hope this turns out okay," said Tomoyo. "It seems it could go wrong."  
  
"How does this turn out okay?" asked Kero. "It's war."  
  
"It turns out okay if Clow is defeated," said Syaoran. "If he is taken out of power, this will make the world better. He's too strong for everyone's good. Besides, the war only has to enter the beginning stages before we find him."  
  
"We?" said Kero.  
  
"This is all just to lure out Clow Reed?" said Sakura.  
  
"Yes. Once he joins the battle, and I think he will, we can find him and beat him."  
  
"Such a simple plan," said Kero caustically.  
  
"Tomoyo, you should leave us now," said Syaoran, turning to the girl. "We appreciate your help, but things are going to get even more dangerous from now on. I don't want you to get hurt."  
  
"I'm not leaving!" said Tomoyo indignantly. "This is much more fun than anything I've ever done. Besides, I don't have anywhere I want to go."  
  
Syaoran sighed, and nodded. "It's up to you if you want to stay. I'm just warning you."  
  
"Where do you think Clow will surface?" said Sakura.  
  
"It might take a few days," said Syaoran. "But I believe it will be near here."  
  
"We'd best camp outside the city," said Kero. "Sakura can't practice her magic around here, and you both could use all the skills you can get if you're going to foolishly battle Clow."  
  
"Foo...foolishly," stammered Sakura. "You mean we don't have a chance?"  
  
"No, you have a chance," said Kero quickly. "I just wish I could transform. We need to get that Earthy card from him."  
  
"Things will turn out right," said Tomoyo. "I just have a feeling." Kero wished he could agree.  
  
*************  
  
The three humans slept under the stars in an area three miles from Turento's city walls. Kero did not sleep, because he was lost in thought. Something told him Tomoyo was not done being useful. He refused to believe that the only reason they met her was to have her play noble around Yelan. Then there was Mizuki's last prophecy; Sakura would `cure' Clow Reed. He didn't even know what that meant.  
  
Kero tried to remember Clow. It seemed like his memory was in patches. It was hard to remember anything about his time with the man. Only a few things, like poor Sakura's family, stuck out in his mind. Since remembering that came easy, he focused on it. He thought back to his shadowy past, and was treated to a scene that played in his mind...  
  
i  
  
"Clow, what are you planning now?" Keroberos asked, the lion-like beast coming up next to Clow in his study in the Maghin castle. "It doesn't seem good."  
  
"Don't question me," said Clow, his face hard, his mouth set in its permanent scowl, as Keroberos had grown used to from Clow lately. "I am only half as powerful as I used to be. I need the Kinomoto man's power to make me complete again."  
  
"But, even half of what you were, you are still more powerful than anyone else!"  
  
"Quiet, Keroberos!" roared Clow. "I wish you were more like Yue! He respects my decisions, and agrees with everything I do."  
  
"Perhaps I am not as trusting of you as Yue is," said Keroberos angrily. "He doesn't seem to realize how much you've changed! You used to be kind, and gentle! Now you'll do whatever it takes to get that power you crave so much!"  
  
"He is not Clow, not exactly," said Yue, entering the room. "Clow is gone. He left us, Keroberos, and this man came to take his place."  
  
"Who...who are you then, if you are not Clow?" said Keroberos, backing away.  
  
"He is your master, Keroberos," said Yue. "He has assumed the role of Clow, and you do what he wants, and do not stand in his way. That is all you, or I, should need to know."  
  
/i  
  
Kero opened his eyes as the memory faded. "Does that mean...Clow must've died! The man masquerading as Clow is someone else!" He tried to remember more, and like a gushing faucet, more came flooding into his mind.  
  
i  
  
"Keroberos, Yue, come watch." Clow seemed in his best spirits, as good as he had seemed in months. Keroberos was happy for it, because he missed the old Clow, but at the same time it was a guarded happiness, because Clow's enthusiasm carried a bizarre aura. Clow pointed out the window of his tower to the streets below. "Do you see a man in white?" Keroberos searched for a while before spotting him. He was dressed completely in white, and seemed to glow. The man was also a bit fuzzy, like he was out of focus with the rest of the world. "I made him myself. A being with no purpose but to give me my magic."  
  
"He has the disease," said Yue, no emotion tugging his voice.  
  
"He does. It won't hurt him, he's completely formed from magic. A bit poorly, I suppose, but I worked quickly."  
  
"You promised that disease wouldn't be let loose into the world!" roared Keroberos. "The chances of someone surviving are next to none! If it spreads..."  
  
"It won't spread, Keroberos. I am sure of that. And I don't remember making any such promise."  
  
"But...it's so...horrid."  
  
Clow patted Keroberos on the head. "Stop worrying. Perhaps you should have a snack."  
  
Keroberos was in no mood for snacks. "You're going to kill Kinomoto, aren't you?" he growled.  
  
"Yes, he has the other half of the magic, and doesn't know how to use it. Kinomoto doesn't use his magic to its full potential, and it's being wasted! He only concentrates on those fool humanitarian efforts, keeping the poor rabble alive. That fool King Plute keeps loading the man with honors. And his daughter just oozes cute." Clow made a face. "His wife and son are bearable, but the son always seems to stare at me strangely, as if he senses something in me. I must have none of them remain. I had a vision that Kinomoto would destroy me. I will not let that happen!"  
  
Keroberos bowed his head. "I suppose I will have that snack," he said sorrowfully.  
  
"You won't try anything brash, I hope?" Clow said, mildly threatening.  
  
Keroberos did not say anything. He just left the room. Once he was out of earshot of Clow Reed and Yue, and he ran down the tower, his fur a blur. He wouldn't be affected by the disease, either. Maybe if he beat that man in white to the Kinomoto residence, they would be okay. He had to make it in time.  
  
People who he passed in the streets were stupefied as he pumped his legs as fast as they could go. They had never before been permitted to know he existed, but hiding himself was not a concern anymore. The run seemed interminable, but he finally reached the Kinomoto residence. The door was open, a bad sign. He rushed in.  
  
The man in white was leaning over a woman, a small ball of...dark was the best way to describe it...in his hands. Keroberos roared, but the man ignored him. The woman tried to shrink from the man, but he thrust the darkness into her. She slumped over, and the man tossed her aside, onto the chair where Fujitaka and the boy, Touya, lay, also in odd positions. Keroberos knew the woman as Nadeshiko. She had the disease. The three of them did. They were the telltale green color, a sign the disease was in their bodies and working its destructive power.  
  
The man in white turned to Keroberos, and giggled. Another ball of darkness appeared, sucking in the light, and the man went up the stairs. It was too late for the others, but maybe he could still save the girl. Keroberos followed the man, on his heels. The girl was upstairs, sleeping soundly, unaware her family had left her alone in the world.  
  
The man prepared to put the darkness into her sleeping form, but Keroberos leaped in front of her. The man was surprised, and couldn't stop himself. Keroberos felt the disease enter him. It was a strange sensation, difficult to describe. Every part of him tingled with an evil hate. His body, formed from magic, destroyed the disease as quickly as it entered, and the sensation passed. He turned to face the man in white.  
  
The man was no longer giggling. He was snarling. Keroberos launched a fireball at him, which the man batted away effortlessly. "Clow!" he said to the man. He knew the sorcerer had taken full control of the creation in front of him, and that the being held all of Clow's powers. Keroberos could not possibly stand against Clow in a battle. So reason was his only hope. "Leave the girl!"  
  
The man did not reply, instead rushing at Keroberos. A sword formed in his hand from nothing tangible, and he slashed at Keroberos. The beast roared with the pain, and fell to his stomach. The man flourished his white cape proudly, and gave Keroberos a kick that sent him sprawling. Before Keroberos could muster the strength to say or do anything else, the man had given the disease to the girl. Keroberos hung his head as the man, his job completed, bowed and disappeared.  
  
Keroberos got up slowly, defeated and depressed. Blood matted his fur. The wound stung, but he felt like he'd be okay. Better than the Kinomoto family, anyway. The girl had already turned a sick green. The disease was working on her, and soon she would be gone. He felt saddest for her, the youngest one. Barely ten years old, as far as he knew. He vowed never to return to Clow's side. The man was sick.  
  
The family needed a proper burial. At least he could give them that much. He padded to the girl. She was still green, but it seemed more muted. Not noticing it much, he picked her up by the collar of her dress, and positioned her carefully on his back. Back downstairs, he was about to pick up the boy Touya, but then took stock of the boy's color. He was nearly glowing green, as was the two parents. For some reason, the green was not nearly as strong on the girl. As he moved his head closer to her body, he could hear breathing. Impossible! It was shallow and difficult, but it was breathing. She was still alive, when she should have already been gone!  
  
Keroberos burst from the house, assured he still had the girl on his back. He would take her to the one person, aside from Clow Reed, who could possibly save her: Kaho Mizuki. If she had survived this long, perhaps she could still disprove the disease as the perfect killer.  
  
/i  
  
"Kero...Kero!" Kero awoke from his memories to find Sakura staring at his face compassionately. The sun was out, and the three others were awake. "Are you okay? You were just floating there, whispering to yourself."  
  
"Just...remembering what I thought I had forgotten," Kero said. He knew the girl he carried to Mizuki was her. Mizuki had healed Kero, and worked her magic magnificently to save Sakura. "I think what I remembered was important. I'll need to sort through it later." He handed her the key. "Come on, we need to start working your magic stronger. Get that boy over here."  
  
*********************************************  
  
Continued in Chapter 11 


	11. The Visit

CHAPTER 11 - The Visit  
  
Kero was encouraged by the day's training. He thought Sakura and Syaoran both were making great strides in improving their magic power, but kept to himself the thought that it wouldn't be enough to stop Clow. Even if he was a reincarnation of the original Clow, one whose power was not quite what the original Clow had. For although Fujitaka had died, Kero knew that only half of his power had gone to the false Clow. The other half went to his own descendant, Sakura. And Sakura was combining that magic with her own internal magic and Mizuki's magic. Kero wasn't sure how the mixture of the three would play out, but he figured it had to eventually become very strong. However, they didn't have time to wait for it to blossom. Clow was expected any day.  
  
He himself would be very little help against Clow. Stuck in the stuffed animal form, he could not do anything except provide oral support. If Clow happened to show Earthy, there might be a chance to steal it from him, although Kero wasn't sure how to steal it right from Clow's grasp.  
  
With Syaoran hunting the area for rabbits, claiming he wanted to eat some fresh meat, and Tomoyo engrossed in sewing a new dress for Sakura, noting correctly that Sakura's wardrobe was pitifully small, Sakura approached Kero as he was thinking. "Kero, can you tell me what you remembered?"  
  
Kero winced inwardly. As painful as the memory of Sakura's family was for him, it would be much worse for her. Still, she might as well know. "I remembered...the day Clow gave your family the disease." Seeing Sakura's eyes gloss over, he said, "I'm sorry, Sakura. I tried to stop him, but he was too strong even then."  
  
"You did?" said Sakura.  
  
"Yes, but I did nothing to help. Hopeless. I thought you were a goner."  
  
"I've wondered, especially now that I learn more of the disease, how I managed to survive it. I mean, it could be because of my magic, but that doesn't make sense! Father was much stronger than me! I didn't even know I had magic, and he was one of the top sorcerers in the world. Even Touya had some magic..." Sakura looked like she might start crying.  
  
"I don't know. What I do know is that Kaho took care of you while you were sick."  
  
"I thought...she'd always said by the time she found me I was practically recovered."  
  
"No. Although you showed some sort of resistance to it, I think that without Kaho's help..." Kero didn't finish the thought.  
  
"I see. So I owe my life to her even more than before. And you."  
  
Kero shook his head. "No again. She wouldn't want you to think that, and I don't either."  
  
"But it's true!"  
  
"What's true is that you are descended from the original Clow Reed. And that means you may be able to do what Kaho wanted you to do."  
  
"What she wanted me to do?"  
  
"Cure Clow. Make him better. Which means giving him the kind disposition of the original Clow."  
  
"I can't do that!" Sakura sputtered. "I don't even know what that means, or what's wrong with him! And...he killed my family, and Syaoran's adopted family! I..." Sakura's voice began to rise, and her look became wild.  
  
"Stop," he said calmly. "Something happened to him. Clow wouldn't have wanted his reincarnation to wreak havoc on people's lives like this. I don't remember him, but somehow that seems right to me!"  
  
"Wait...reincarnation...descendant...I'm getting dizzy finding all this stuff out at once. If Clow is only one half of his reincarnation, as you seem to suggest, then does that mean that Father was the other?" Kero nodded. "But Father was the exact opposite of that evil man! He was nice, and kind, and never wanted to hurt anyone!"  
  
"Yes, they are completely different people, but my memory isn't wrong on this, I can feel it. There must be a way. Kaho was never wrong when she made a prophecy, and I have no reason to suspect she is now."  
  
"Are we just supposed to assume something good will happen? Because I've waited for good things to happen, and they don't!" blurted Sakura, and gasped when she said it. "Oh, no, do I really think that? Have I really lost so much hope? Even with everything that's happened, I don't actually believe that, or do I?"  
  
"You sound confused." Kero himself was taken aback by the sudden outpouring he had received from her.  
  
"I am confused, Kero! I never thought I'd become so pathetic! To think good things can't happen! But, there it is, nothing but bad things ever happen."  
  
"Sakura..." Kero tried to think of something comforting, but came up blank. He noticed her eyes were moist, but then she wiped them dry and stood up.  
  
"I'll leave you to your thinking, Kero."  
  
"No, wait..."  
  
All of a sudden, she seemed normal. "I'm just going to make some tea." She wasn't normal, Kero could tell that easily. Yet, if she didn't want to talk to him about it, then he could not force her. He nodded, and watched her leave to start a fire. He wished there was something he could do, but there was nothing.  
  
Sakura's sleep that night was fitful. She had no way to stop the feelings of depression inside of her. When she finally did fall asleep, she was destined to wake soon afterward.  
  
The sun rose, and Syaoran and Tomoyo busily prepared the morning meal while Kero tried to persuade a groggy and listless Sakura into her training. She did do it eventually, but she lacked the drive of other training sessions, so Kero cut it short. When he announced they were done, Sakura returned to the ground where they all slept the night before, curled into her blanket, and fell instantly asleep.  
  
"Why is Sakura so lifeless?" said Tomoyo worriedly. "She's usually so cheerful in spite of everything that happens."  
  
"She found out that she is not as cheerful about things as she or anyone else believed," said Kero sorrowfully.  
  
*********************  
  
The moon was full and provided much light when Sakura woke up. The sky was clear, and the stars were bright. Even the stars failed to pick up her spirits, something they used to do in Maghin.  
  
Since the others were asleep, she took a walk to a small pond nearby. She saw her reflection in the water. It looked young, and possibly cute, but carried a hidden hardness she never knew was there. Then the reflection changed, and she became old, stern, bitter, a future self she did not want to become. She pulled away from the pond before her mind could play anymore tricks on her.  
  
When she turned around, the forest was gone. It was all black. The moon and stars stopped shining their light on the Earth, and she could only see herself. She considered the sky, expecting clouds, but seeing nothing. Dark. Nothing. She shivered, and began to worry.  
  
She broke into a trot, trying to find anything, which turned into a run and then a dead sprint before she stopped, breathing heavily from the effort. Still she couldn't tell if she'd even moved.  
  
A man walked materialized through the blackness in front of her. He was far away, but Sakura recognized him. He was Clow Reed. Sakura turned and ran, her heart pumping and he voice gone. She couldn't even yell for help. When she turned around, Clow was closer, still walking slowly. It occurred to her that she really wasn't going anywhere. Finally, she gave up, and turned to face Clow, who was now only five yards away.  
  
"Sakura," he said, his voice calm and soothing. "Do not be afraid." His face was gentle, kind. Nothing at all like what she had seen of Clow in the prison, his unsmiling face rough with anger and cruelty. "I am someone you hate, and someone you love."  
  
"You can't be both." Sakura just said it, she did not think it. It sounded like a lie right off her tongue, but it seemed almost insanely logical.  
  
"I am both and neither. A paradox. You don't know me, but I have caused so much emotion inside of you that you can no longer understand any of it." Sakura remembered what Kero had said. Clow had died, and left two reincarnations. Her father and the other Clow.  
  
"You gave way to Father, whom I loved, and the man who is now Clow Reed, whom I hate," she said. "But you are Clow Reed yourself." He beamed with a smile.  
  
"I'm glad you understand. You must understand, I did not mean for these things to happen."  
  
"You killed...yourself, in a way."  
  
Clow's smile was gone, replaced by a forlorn look. "If I had known what I was doing, neither reincarnation would have realized what they were. Instead, I let Eriol know, but managed to hide it from Fujitaka."  
  
"Eriol?"  
  
"The man who calls himself Clow Reed," said the original Clow. "Foolish of me. I meant for my personality to be split equally as well. Instead, I basically created a good and bad part. The good part was your Father. Well known for his humanitarianism. Never took a servant, gave most of his money to agencies that helped the poor, most of which folded after his death. Had a wonderful wife and two beautiful children, things I never got to have but always wanted.  
  
"But I was not all good. There was bad in me, like there is in all of us. And it became Eriol. My bad personality traits were reflected and expanded greatly inside of him. Once he found out he was me, he hungered for the power I once wielded. He made himself to look like me, to take over my existence. He thinks he is the true Clow Reed, now. To get the power, well, you know the story all too well."  
  
"Kero was right, you really are a good man!" said Sakura. "But if Eriol thinks he's you, then how do I stop him?"  
  
"I can't tell you everything. I am dead now, only existing in spiritual form. I can watch you from a distance." He smiled at her key that dangled from her neck. "I am glad you finally got that. I meant for you to find it when you were ten, but circumstances were out of my control." He knelt down to face her.  
  
"I think, right now, there is a larger problem than that of my embodiment running amok," he said, staring deeply into her. "And for that larger problem I feel at fault as well. I wish to help rectify it." Sakura wanted to say something, but drew a blank. "You haven't been well, lately. Why?"  
  
"I found out I lost my hope," said Sakura apprehensively. "And without it I have nothing. But I can't bring myself to believe that good things will come!" As she went on, her voice picked up power. "And I don't want to drag Syaoran or Tomoyo down with me! Or Kero!"  
  
"Things happen for a reason, although not always a good one," said Clow. "Perhaps bad things have happened to you, but you must never lose hope."  
  
"I lost my family, then lived like a peasant for seven years. As soon as I found Syaoran, he lost his family, because of me, because he wanted me to feel clean and feel better. Mistress Mizuki saves me and gives up her magic and her life for me. I appeared in Rufley, and Tomoyo suddenly decides to leave her family. It all seems so suspicious. The terrible things that happen do so around me." Sakura let the tears fall freely, instead of trying to hide them like she had in front of Kero. "Why? I don't know why? It's selfish, but I don't want to be responsible for all this!"  
  
Clow patted her on the head. Instead of bristling like when Tomoyo did it in Turento, she felt comforted. "You're not responsible for any of that," he said. "Those things happened because of what other people decided to do, all of it. Your presence didn't make them happen. You have been most unfortunate to be around when they happen, but it is not much more than fate. Destiny led you to those places. And you have gained from some of them as well as suffered. You've acquired friends in Syaoran and Tomoyo. Your magic was made possible by Mizuki. She wanted you to have it. She knew it did her no good to keep it."  
  
"It's still on me," said Sakura. "Destiny or whatever doesn't seem to smile upon those whom I love."  
  
Clow stood up. "When I was a boy, hundreds of years ago, I once lost a pet to death. Not quite on the same scale as your family, I admit, but it devastated me, because my cat was a part of the family at the time. I wondered why the bad things happened to me, just like you. So I'll tell you what my parents told me. They had a theory that for every bad thing that happens to you, something even more wonderful will happen." Clow smiled at Sakura's skeptical look through the tears. "I didn't believe it either, not at the time. But, it's true, I do believe now. I found a stray, starving and near-death. I took him in, and he became one of my greatest friends. I based the design for Keroberos off of this cat. So even though he didn't replace the first pet, he became a new friend for me. I think that you will find a family for yourself, not to replace the one you had, but to be a new family for you to be a part of."  
  
"I don't..." Sakura started, but Clow stopped her.  
  
"Think about what I've said. Remember, it's easy to blame yourself for everything, but there are so many factors outside of your control that it isn't worth the effort. You can't make everything good, but you can do your best to keep the hope, because without hope, we have nothing." Clow turned and walked away.  
  
"Wait!" said Sakura. "Don't leave!"  
  
"I must," he said. "I'm sorry." And with that, he disappeared from view.  
  
"Clow!" she shouted. "Clow! Where did you go?" She stepped backwards, and was surprised to lose her balance. She pinwheeled her arms to try to retain her footing, but failed, and fell back into the pond. The freezing water rushed over her as she splashed around and dragged herself out. Choking on water, she realized she had truly not run anywhere, that Clow had brought her to him on a level that was not tangible.  
  
Her wet dress clinging to her and causing the night chill to feel that much colder, she headed back to the camp to dry and warm up, forgetting for a moment all that Clow had told her.  
  
***************  
  
"A fire, already?" said Syaoran, the first to awake. He saw Sakura had changed into one of Tomoyo's plain wool dresses, and then the still-damp one she had been wearing. "What did you do last night?" he asked.  
  
"A lot," she said. "The very least of which was falling into the pond."  
  
"What?" he said. "I hope you don't catch a cold! It's unseasonably chilly out here."  
  
"I'm fine." She got up from the fire, and handed him a cup of warm tea, which he accepted thankfully. "Syaoran, I'm sorry for the way I've been lately."  
  
"It's okay," he said. "Sometimes we all go through things like that."  
  
"Things like what?"  
  
"Needing to be alone to think things through."  
  
"Oh. Well, I thought things through enough now."  
  
"And?"  
  
She sighed. "I've accepted what has happened as part of life. I don't like it, but I shouldn't. I got some help, and I discovered that I really never did lose hope, that I'd only tricked myself into thinking so."  
  
"That's good," he said, taking a sip of tea. "I don't like to see you so down like that. Doesn't suit your personality well. I like to see you happy. It makes me happy as well." He swallowed a big swig of tea when he realized he had just come out and said it like that.  
  
Sakura looked abashed. "And being around you makes me happy."  
  
Both of them fidgeted uncomfortably. "I...good tea," said Syaoran.  
  
"It's nothing special."  
  
Kero regarded them from afar. "Geez, why don't they just give up and admit to themselves they're in love?" he said, shaking his head.  
  
"It's going to be tough for them to do that," said Tomoyo. "Both are naturally shy about such things, and afraid, because those they loved are out of their lives, and thus naturally think that if they allow themselves to love each other then they will lose one another. So it will take time."  
  
"You barely know them, yet you seem so sure."  
  
"I am sure," said Tomoyo, a smile on her lips. "I can just tell these things."  
  
"Aren't we special." Kero got the feeling again that she would be involved in something that would be extremely helpful to their cause, and this time stronger than ever. "Perhaps that moment will come soon," he said to himself, but Tomoyo overheard.  
  
"What moment?"  
  
"Nothing," said Kero. No need to worry the girl.  
  
The embers of the fire Sakura and Syaoran sat around were beginning to die down. "I'll go get some more wood," he said, but Sakura did not want him to.  
  
"Let's just wait a little bit longer," she said, resting her head on his shoulders. "I want you to wait."  
  
Syaoran was acutely aware of her head, and he stammered, "O...oka...y." They remained that way until the last of the flames had died.  
  
************************************************  
  
Continued in Chapter 12 


	12. Final Encounter

CHAPTER 12 - Final Encounter  
  
The cold temperatures, even during the day, were an unexpected nuisance, but Yelan hardly felt them. It was hard to fathom for most, but she simply refused to let the cold bother her. It had nothing to do with magic and everything to do with her stubborn personality. The cold did bother her general, however, and the old man entered the tent where she was set up near the army shivering and hugging his arms to his chest.  
  
"What news do you bring?" she demanded of him. He was General Rutiupe, well-decorated for his previous campaigns. Yelan had confidence in him, for his old, soft face and thin, frail body hid a tough-as-nails grizzled war veteran, a man unafraid to press his soldiers just hard enough to make them perform to their best abilities without overexerting them.  
  
"I thought we would gain the upper hand," he started, "by being the ones to declare war. But he must have known and started sending troops here as soon as we started marching! The first wave of armies under Clow are here sooner than we expected, Duchess," he said, never one for softening bad news.  
  
"Probably magic was involved, somehow," mused Yelan. "Looks like the battles are going to take place closer to Turento than I had hoped."  
  
"Clow is very strong, and capable of things unimaginable to others, but he cannot fight an entire war by himself, and our soldiers are much better trained and skilled, if a little outnumbered."  
  
"Of course, General. Carry on."  
  
He bowed and left Yelan to her thoughts. The old man did not know that what he had told her was old news. She had known about the armies Clow was sending to Turento as a way to conquer the land. Fingering the letter from "Clow" delivered by that fool girl who was running around with Syaoran and the fake servant girl with ridiculous magic potential, she couldn't believe the luck that had brought it to her. She had spent the better part of five days trying to come up with a way to rally the army behind a defense against Clow. The men in the army would not believe that Clow would really attack them, unless he sent a letter formally denouncing their treaty. The letter was a fake, probably the brainchild of Syaoran, but no one could tell that except herself.  
  
Still, even with an army fighting hard, trying to protect her honor, it would still be difficult to win. As a realist she knew this to be a fact. Clow had many soldiers who barely received any training before thrust into the role of soldier, but he also used his powerful magic to create weapons that had magical properties for them to fight with, enhancing their meager abilities to the point where they became formidable.   
  
A loud crash interrupted her thinking. It was the beginning of an earthquake! Yelan tried to duck under her solid wood table, but a piece of earth shot up to send her flying in the opposite direction. The tent began to collapse around her, and the earth below her began to buckle and ripple. It seemed to jut around her, and before she could react, the earth had formed solid walls around her that were twenty feet tall.  
  
"Duchess!" called a soldier she did not recognize. "What happened?"  
  
"Dig me out!" she commanded. She heard his footsteps retreat as he went to get shovels and more men to help. Furious over her earthen prison, she barely managed to keep from screaming angrily.   
  
"Yelan," said Clow, floating above her as if suspended. "How is everything?"  
  
Yelan snarled. "It is just like you to enter in a battle so early."  
  
"Your soldiers fight well, and mine do not. So I evened the odds a little. You will be busy trying to free yourself, and not pay as much attention to the battles happening around you. Besides, I wanted to test the power of my Earthy card. It is quite strong."  
  
Clow disappeared from view before Yelan could respond. Humiliated, she listened as the soldiers began digging with the shovels and awaited her release.  
  
*************  
  
"Over there!" cried Kero. He shot off into a nearby forest. "The Earthy card was used there, past this little forest!"  
  
"That means Clow!" said Syaoran, running to keep up with the little winged beast.  
  
The forest they ran through was thick, but Kero could still sense the Earthy card powers being used, so he directed them through the maze the trees made. Tomoyo kept lagging behind, and Kero did slow down occasionally, but he was reluctant to do so. He wanted to get that Earthy card into Sakura's possession so he could transform once again.  
  
"Look out!" called Sakura, as a fireball hit next to Syaoran, who used Sakura's warning as enough to dodge it.  
  
"It must be Clow," said Kero.   
  
"He's flying overhead," said Syaoran. None of them wanted to slow down, despite the possibility they were running right into a trap laid by Clow. Another fireball landed too close to Tomoyo, who although not directly hit was thrown sideways by the shower of dirt the impact threw up.  
  
Sakura was the only one who noticed it, and went back to pick her up. Tomoyo would suffer a couple bruises, but it was nothing serious. What was serious, on the other hand, was that Kero and Syaoran were out of view.  
  
"Where'd they go?" said Tomoyo shakily.  
  
"I don't know." Sakura was not much less scared.  
  
"We should keep moving."  
  
"Good idea," said Sakura, fearful of the fireballs the madman Clow...no, it was Eriol...was launching down from above. "But where?"  
  
Tomoyo pointed in the general direction they had previously been running. "We'll find them out of the forest," said Tomoyo. The two ran, Sakura leading Tomoyo by the hand, but stopped when Sakura spotted Eriol blocking their path. "Who's that?" said Tomoyo, half sure of the answer.  
  
"Eriol."  
  
Tomoyo had not expected that. "Who?"  
  
"Eriol!" said Sakura to the magician. "You are Eriol, not Clow!" He faltered, but regained his composure quickly.  
  
"No! I am the true Clow Reed!" he said insanely, launching a fireball. Sakura grabbed Tomoyo and dragged her to the ground under her as the fireball barely cleared their bodies. "You are the impostor!" he said wildly.   
  
Sakura took the key out, and produced the staff. "I don't know how to stop you, but I'll give it a try."  
  
"You can't stop me with my own creations! Those cards are mine, hand them over!"  
  
As response, Sakura took the Fiery card and tossed into the air, her staff hitting it at the apex of its flight upwards. The magic released, and the feminine spirit of Fire was thrust toward Eriol. As counter, he fired his own magic. An explosion was formed that shone so brightly Tomoyo had to turn away and that caused a piece of bark to hurtle toward Sakura and slice her cheek, bringing a trickle of blood. When it died down, the Fiery card returned to her hand, and Eriol remained, unscathed.  
  
Tomoyo tried to check the scratch on Sakura's face, but she shrugged her off. Eriol laughed. "It that the best you have!?" he taunted. "I told you, I cannot be defeated by my own magic. But, you can be defeated by my magic." He removed his clock to reveal a tall staff with a half sun on the end, and pulled out the Earthy. "You won't survive this!"  
  
Not realizing what she was doing, Tomoyo launched herself at Eriol. Stunned, he did not react until she had grabbed the Earthy card from his hand, at which point his fist slammed into her ribs and sent her sprawling aside. Sakura rushed to Tomoyo, checking her for life signs, and was relieved at finding her pulse was still active.  
  
"Take the card," said Tomoyo, thrusting it into Sakura's face.  
  
"Tomoyo," said Sakura, reluctantly taking the card. "How could you do such a thing?"  
  
"I don't know, it seemed right." Sakura could tell she was in serious pain. Her dress was bloody about her side and her ribs caused her to wince every time she moved even an inch.  
  
Eriol was red-faced with anger. "I don't believe what just happened. That girl just stripped me of the last of my cards!"  
  
"You keep hurting people I love!" Sakura screamed, suddenly rounding to face Eriol. "I can't take it, not anymore!" She drew the Sword card, and her staff became as sharp as the best sword and her own skill with the sword became second to none. "Until you realize you are not Clow Reed and will never be, I will have to stop you from bringing your reign of terror on this world!" She rushed to meet Eriol, who dodged her sword and produced one of his own magic. They traded blows, a fast-paced dangerous game in which a tiny mistake would be deadly. Every time Eriol lowered the sword for a blow Sakura was ready to parry, and likewise the other way around. Meanwhile Sakura knew Tomoyo was slipping away into unconsciousness.  
  
Eriol backed off suddenly, sensing their standoff could never end. Both he and Sakura found their breathing heavy. "You are nothing without those cards," he sneered.  
  
"I am just glad to be sane," she countered. This brought a fireball from Eriol, which she managed to avoid. The second fireball, coming right after the first, came as a surprise, and only her sword saved her from serious damage. It sliced through the magic, but enough hit her that it threw her backwards. She landed on her back, temporarily dazed. Eriol ran up and thrust his sword of magic down, but she rolled away in the nick of time and the sword cut easily into the ground where her head had just been a half-second earlier. She continued to roll and then flipped herself upright.  
  
Eriol snarled. He knew as well as she did that she was surviving by the skin of her teeth. "You can't keep this up forever," he informed her.  
  
"Why can't you realize who are you!"   
  
"I am Clow Reed!" He had lost most of his sanity, and was wildly flailing his sword at her. It took all of the Sword card's skill to avoid the lunatic, and even then, once Eriol had let up on his barrage once again, Sakura could count five or six small cuts that were starting to drip blood.  
  
"Sakura!" The shout came from behind her, where Syaoran and Kero were. At least, she thought it was Kero. He was bigger now, looking like a great winged lion beast. This was his transformed self, she assumed. "Sakura, are you all right?" Concern drove Syaoran's voice.  
  
"I'm fine," she said. Motioning to Tomoyo, she added sadly, "But Tomoyo's not. She got the Earthy card, but it caused her to be hurt."  
  
"Clow!" said Kero, staring intently at Eriol.   
  
"No, that's not Clow," said Sakura. "I met the real Clow, in a dream, or something similar, I'm not quite sure. That man is Eriol. He changed his own body structure and face so he would assume Clow's identity long ago. He's been playing at being Clow for so long he truly believes he his Clow."  
  
"Of course I'm Clow!" Eriol shouted. "You, Sakura, you have the magic of Fujitaka that is meant for Clow! Give it to me!"  
  
"He's gone mad," said Syaoran. He had his sword at the ready. "Time to try a new trick." Raising the sword up high, the blade perfectly horizontal to the ground, pointing toward the sky, Syaoran focused his energy. The blade began to glow a strong and deep yellow. Suddenly, Syaoran yelled, and lowered the blade, with the tip pointed straight at Eriol. He released the energy, and it flowed in the form of lightning from his sword to Eriol. The sorcerer jumped aside, looking to evade, but smaller bolts of lightning branched off the main flow from the sword, striking him. One hit him in the shoulder, another in the chest, still another in the leg. Falling to one knee, Eriol cursed.  
  
"So you have discovered to cast without incantation papers," said Eriol derisively. "And it has made you more powerful." He fired a bolt of lightning of his own, which Syaoran easily avoided. Standing up, Eriol still had that wild look in his eye, but he also had a different look, one of danger. He approached Syaoran, who lined up to fire the lightning from his sword again. "Don't bother," said Eriol, and Syaoran was hit from behind with a fireball. In pain, he fell to the ground, gritting his teeth. Aneko emerged from behind him as the producer of the fireball.  
  
"You!" said Sakura. "You have magic, too?"  
  
"You are crazy to think you can beat Clow Reed," Aneko said by way of greeting.  
  
"But if he isn't Clow," said Kero, "then he is not invincible."  
  
Fireballs came from both Clow and Aneko at the same time from opposite directions, and it was all Sakura could do to get out of the way, as she threw herself to the ground. Kero picked her off from the ground quickly. Suddenly, an idea popped into her head, as if put there by an unseen force. "Kero, can you take care of Aneko?" Sakura asked the beast. "I think I just figured out how to beat Eriol." He nodded, and bounded over to Aneko, who tried to get out of his way. Kero pinned the girl to the ground, where she squirmed under his paws before realizing she was beat and going still, her mouth in a pout.  
  
"I can only think of one thing that will show you who you really are," said Sakura to Eriol. He snarled and glared, the insanity of his mind fully evident. Sakura removed the Mirror card from her pack. "Mirror card," she said, "show the man before you his true reflection!" Her staff hit the card, and its energies flowed out to form a mirror before Eriol. Only he could see what the mirror held, and it caused him to howl. Stumbling, he backpedaled from the mirror, only to have it follow him.  
  
"That's...not me!" he screamed. Whirling on the mirror, he attempted to shatter it, but his fist went right through it as if it were not there. Eriol fell to his knees, sobbing. Then he got up, and ran off into the woods. Sakura started to follow, but Kero told her not to.  
  
"He's discovered the truth," said Kero. "Although it will be painful for him, he will get better."  
  
"I'm glad for that," said Sakura. She was already kneeling next to Syaoran, helping him to sit up.   
  
"What's going on!" demanded Aneko. "Master can never be defeated! ...Right?"  
  
"So, he wasn't Clow Reed," said Syaoran, with difficulty. He shrugged off Sakura's guiding hands. "I'm okay, I'd worry about Tomoyo more." The girl had fallen unconscious during the battle with Eriol, the blood on her drying.  
  
"She'll be okay, I think," said Kero. "Come on, everybody can climb on me and we'll go to the nearest town."  
  
*********************  
  
The tiny town of Curestry was home to little more than a few farms and a glass worker, but it also had a healer, an old woman who used a variety of herbs on Tomoyo's side and Syaoran's back. Kero had never been one to trust a healer and their herbs, no matter the skill level or experience, but he admitted that they had little choice with Tomoyo's condition.   
  
A few days later, Syaoran was practically back to normal, and Tomoyo could even walk around a little bit, although each step seemed to bring a fresh wince. "Eriol really gave me a good shot," she joked.  
  
When Tomoyo finally felt well enough, the group of friends decided to return to Maighan. It had been over a month since the battle with Eriol when they reached the city. Eriol had still not shown up. The king, used to doing whatever his advisor had said, came to enjoy ruling without Eriol's 'input' and announced he would refuse Eriol his return, if that should ever happen.  
  
Rumor around the town spread that the king had had his advisor killed. Everyone still assumed the advisor was Clow. Only Sakura, Syaoran, Tomoyo and Kero knew better than that.   
  
It was a rainy day when Eriol did return to Maighan. No one recognized him, however. He had removed the magical aura that gave him the appearance of Clow, and was now using his own face and body. He was six inches shorter, his face more round. His hair was black like Clow's, and he showed the signs of his age. He had wrinkles, with gray spotting that black hair. He searched out Sakura and Syaoran, finding them at one of the inns.  
  
"Sakura," he said, when she answered the door to her room. "You do not recognize me, do you?" His voice was gentle.   
  
"Eriol?" she said, unsure. He nodded, and she let him in, and called for the others to join them.  
  
"Where have you been?" demanded Syaoran.   
  
"I have been trying to come to terms with everything that has happened with me," he said. "For the past month or so I have thought back to everything I've done and all the lives I've hurt or taken, and I realize that there is nothing I could possibly do to make up for it." Syaoran's face was hard, his lack of forgiveness clear. Sakura's was blank, searching him. "And I've done it all in the name of Clow Reed. I thought I was Clow Reed, and was so sure of it that I just became Clow.  
  
"When the Mirror card showed me the face you see before you now, my real face, the one of a fifty-seven year old man, it shattered the prison I had put myself into. I have tried to rediscover who I am."  
  
"You are a reincarnation of Clow," said Sakura. "But he told me you got his bad qualities, and that led you to do all the things you've done."  
  
"That's no excuse," said Eriol, clearly agitated. "What I have done in my life is despicable. Sakura," he said, turning to her and producing a knife from his belt, "I took from you your entire family and almost killed you, too. So I want to give you the opportunity to avenge those deaths." Eriol pressed the hilt of the knife into Sakura's hand. "Kill me," he said.  
  
Sakura tossed the knife to the ground. "I most certainly will not."  
  
"Why?"  
  
"Because, that wasn't you, that was the twisted mind that used to control you."  
  
Eriol sighed. "You don't understand. I am fine now, but I was fine before. The twisted part of me isn't gone, it only exists in the background, waiting to strike and overtake me once more. I can feel it. Once it does strike, I will only become what you despised once more. So you must, to protect your world, destroy me."  
  
"I...cannot," said Sakura. "I don't want to kill anyone. And I think, that with help, you won't turn into what you were..."  
  
"Well, I gave you the opportunity." Eriol got up. "If you do not do it, I will have to, to protect you from me. I am not someone who should be allowed to live, and I will take care of that while I still realize it to be true."  
  
Tears formed in Sakura's eyes. "I know what you have done, but you've changed! You aren't that man anymore!"  
  
"I can't live with the memory of it!" he said. "Before I go, I want to give you your father's magic, the part I got from him when he died."  
  
"Eriol..."  
  
"Don't say anything more." Eriol leaned close to Sakura, the pure white energy of her father's magic in the palm of his hand. He placed the ball on her chest, and it entered, similar to the transfer Mizuki had done to her earlier. "There, it is done." With the new magic in her, Sakura was now sound asleep as her body got used to the introduction. "Keroberos," Eriol said, the beast having been wordless since he had arrived, "I have explained everything to Yue. He did not take it well, so I put him to sleep. He is now in an alternative form, one of a normal human male. Perhaps one day he will realize who he is, but when or if, I cannot say."  
  
"Yue was just another of those whose existence you ruined," said Kero harshly.  
  
"Yes," said Eriol somberly. "I understand he was your friend, since you were created at the same time by Clow."  
  
"What are you going to do now?" said Syaoran, reentering the conversation.  
  
"I will leave this earth, as I must," said Eriol. "She would try to stop me, had I not given her the magic," he said, looking at Sakura's sleeping form. "She is so kind. I wish that I could be like her, but I cannot."  
  
With that, Eriol got up and left, not saying another word.  
  
*********************************************  
  
Continued in Chapter 13 - Epilogue 


	13. Epilogue

CHAPTER 13 - Epilogue   
  
When Sakura recovered from receiving the magic, she was distressed to learn that Eriol was gone. Kero explained that he was a menace to the world as long as he lived, as the evil side of Clow would eventually retake control, and that his death was his own choice and a necessary one for the good of everyone, although he didn't sound like he believed it much himself.  
  
None of them had any idea of what to do next. Removing Eriol from power had been their goal, and now that was accomplished. Tomoyo thought she should return to her family, as much as she didn't want to. "I've had more fun with you guys in the past month than I did in seventeen years at home," she said. But, she also admitted to missing the warm soft bed and guaranteed meals. Having run out of money, they had taken to doing odd jobs in farms around the city of Maghin, where the labor they did for a day barely earned enough for a meal. After a good deal of thought, weighing the creature comforts of home with the infinitely more interesting life Sakura and Syaoran led, Tomoyo decided that she did not want to return home quite yet.  
  
It turned out that her decision really didn't matter. Two searchers working for the Daidouji rulers found her working in a farm they passed while on their way into Maghin. Recognizing her face from the picture they were given, despite the bandana wrapped around her head to keep the hair out of her face and the dirty cloth garments she wore while working, they informed her she was to return to her mother at once. Tomoyo refused, but the searchers were armed and then informed her of the rather substanial reward offered to any who returned Tomoyo to the Daidoujis, and she knew that they would not let her go.  
  
The bigger problem arose when the searchers noticed Syaoran. Without explanation, they grabbed him unexpectedly and tied his wrists and ankles, then tossed him into their cart. Both Tomoyo and Sakura demanded to know why, as did Syaoran, and they did the same to Sakura as they had to Syaoran. With Tomoyo sitting between them, the searchers took all three of them to begin their journey to Rufley.  
  
The night of the first day of that journey, Tomoyo waited until the two searchers were asleep before venturing to the cart. "Are you guys okay?"  
  
"Why did they make us their prisoners?" said Sakura.  
  
"I think that they think that you kidnapped me."  
  
"But we didn't!" sputtered Sakura.  
  
"I know, but I can't convince them otherwise! We'll just have to hope my mother will listen to me if these dolts do not."  
  
"Kero will wonder what happened to us and come find us."  
  
Syaoran struggled mightily to lift himself into a sitting position. "We shouldn't run away from this, it would look bad."  
  
"I can't stay like this the whole trip," complained Sakura. "I'm already feeling cramped up."  
  
The searchers would not allow them to be untied, however, much to Sakura's dismay. The trip by horse and cart went more quickly than they had while walking, but it was still too long. When they finally arrived in Rufley, Sakura was almost glad to be tossed into a dungeon cell in the Daidouji castle, as that meant they could remove her ropes. Rubbing her raw wrists, she wondered how many more times she could get herself thrown in prison before she reached eighteen.  
  
*******************  
  
"Are you thinking about anything, Sakura?" said Syaoran that night.  
"Only about Clow."  
  
"Do you remember at the Li castle, when we were escaping and you got hit with the fireball?" Sakura nodded. "I still haven't figured out why it didn't even cause a scratch on you. No marks, nothing. Not even your dress showed any sign of it. The best I can think of is your own magic defense, but it can't have gotten that high yet..."  
  
"Clow."  
  
"Huh?"  
  
"It must be Clow!" Sakura leaped to her feet. "He's been protecting me, watching over me! This whole time!"  
  
"I know he paid you a visit, but..."  
  
"That disease. Kero himself said Clow was probably the only person who could have survived it."  
  
"Yes, but..."  
  
"So he was there, keeping the virus from killing me!"  
  
"Well..."  
  
"And the fireball. He didn't let it harm me, it didn't cause any permanent damage. It felt like I was hit by a rock, but it held no magic!" Syaoran decided it wasn't worth trying to interrupt anymore. "When I was trying to think of a way to stop Eriol, the idea to use Mirror just came to me! Do you think Clow put it there?"  
  
"I don't know..."  
  
"Clow has been so nice to me."  
  
"If he did all that, than yes. But don't you think you should get some of the credit for those things?"  
  
Sakura shook her head. "I don't think I could have done those things without a little help."  
  
******************  
  
It was when Syaoran finally fell asleep that Clow paid a second and final visit to Sakura.   
  
"Clow!" she said, recognizing the pitch-black environment and the man.  
  
"Sakura, you seem to have stumbled upon a secret."  
  
"Thank you so much for helping me survive! You are so kind..."  
  
"Before you laud me anymore, I think you should know that it wasn't quite me who was doing all that to you."  
  
"What?"  
  
"Oh, I would have, but someone else wanted to be your guardian."  
  
"Who?"  
  
"Your father."  
  
"Father...Can I see him, please?"  
  
Clow took on a look of empathy. "I'm afraid not. You see, as your guardian, he cannot exist as I can. He exists in a different way. His spirit is inside of you, guiding you when you need it. You see, people can die, but it is never the end of them."  
  
"I...I still miss him."  
  
"Of course you do. But remember, and he wanted me to tell you this. Your father will always be with you."  
  
"That makes me feel better."  
  
"Good." Clow smiled. "I think your current situation will change for the better soon. I'm very sorry, but I must leave."  
  
"Good-bye, Clow," said Sakura. The black seemed to give way to light, and Sakura could see the prison cell again, and Syaoran's sleeping form, rhythmically breathing. She suddenly decided it was cold. Without any blankets, she knew she'd need some warmth, and so huddled closely to Syaoran. That was the only reason she did it, she told herself, warmth, although she knew that was a lie. Syaoran was very warm. She realized that she could see spending the rest of her life like this, close to Syaoran.  
  
******************  
  
It took four days, but Tomoyo finally cleared Sakura and Syaoran. Once released, they were invited to an apology dinner hosted by the Duchess Sonomi Daidouji herself. Termed insolent, Tomoyo had been locked in her room since she had arrived back at the castle, but she was allowed to join the dinner, as were most of the wealthiest nobles.  
  
"I'm so very sorry for what happened," said the Duchess. "Those searchers do well at what they do, but they are also lacking in the judgement department."  
  
Sakura curtsied, showing off the dress provided by Tomoyo for the dinner. "It's not your fault."  
  
"Please accept this dinner as my apology. And I do thank you for taking care of my daughter while she ran away from the castle, although I do wish you would have returned her to me."  
  
Syaoran looked up from where he had been staring at all the food. "Under the circumstances, we could not. As it turned out, she helped us out quite a bit."  
  
"I suppose I understand," said Sonomi, fingering one of her many rings. "She seems to have inherited the running away idea from her father, but that's another issue." She cleared her throat. "Anyway, Tomoyo tells me you have nowhere to go after this, am I correct?"  
  
"Yes, that is true," said Sakura carefully.  
  
"Well, I believe she has taken to traveling with you. So to prevent that, I wish to offer you positions here in the castle."  
  
"I will not be a servant!" said Sakura, a little more forcefully than she meant to in the audience of the Duchess. Sonomi raised an eyebrow, but did not chastise.  
  
"No, I don't want you to be one. Since Clow, or Eriol, or whatever his name was, no one seems to know anymore, anyway, since he's gone, Maghin has decided to cut back its empire and make us completely independant. That means that not only am I going to be a queen, but we are going to need a better military than the one we have."  
  
"Well I don't think we know much about raising an army," said Sakura.  
  
"No, but you do know about magical abilities, am I wrong?"  
  
"No."  
  
"Good. Then you two can be in charge of testing our town for magical talents, and helping us raise our own sorcerers! We've never had any, as most in the city have historically feared magic, but I think that it is well past time to have some."  
  
"But..."  
  
"Before you say no, remember that magic is useful in other ways than war. You two can head a state-funded magic school, that will teach the art to those who wish to learn. You will be paid quite well, of course." Sonomi smiled. "I get goosebumps just thinking about how much improved the city of Rufley would be. Healing magic, war magic, even human enhancing magic!"  
  
"I want to discuss it with Syaoran," said Sakura, noncommittal.  
  
"Very well," said Sonomi. "I shall give you two days to think it over. I do hope you'll accept my offer, though."  
  
***********************  
  
"Should we?" said Sakura, cutting straight to the chase. She and Syaoran were alone in a small part of the Daidouji's library. "I don't know how to train anyone in magic! And I can't use magic without the cards. I'm afraid I'm not very qualified for this."  
  
"I bet I could wing it, but it would be tough going at the start," admitted Syaoran. "Where's that stuffed animal, anyway? We could use his help in this. The way Duchess Sonomi was talking, I'm not sure she would take 'no' as an answer very well." Sakura groaned.  
  
It was one and a half days before Kero finally showed up. He was very angry. "You guys abandoned me!" he said indignantly.  
  
"We were taken prisoner by the men Tomoyo's mother hired to find her. They thought we were her kidnappers," explained Sakura, calming Kero, who had returned to his smaller stuffed animal form, although reluctantly.   
  
Kero looked around her room, which was decorated with the finest silks and tapestries, and had a bed the size of a room at most inns. "Yes, you being a prisoner here would explain these posh living conditions," he said dryly.  
  
"Tomoyo explained it all!" said Sakura defensively. "Anyway, I'm glad you tracked us down. We need your help." Kero looked pleased. Sakura knew he liked to be needed. "Tomoyo's mother wants Syaoran and I to open a magic school, to train people in Rufley in magic. But...well, neither Syaoran nor I are really equipped to do such a thing, so..."  
  
"You want me to advise you in how to go about it."  
  
"Yes. Please?"  
  
"Of course, Sakura!" he said. "Besides, I'm not done with your training."  
  
"M...mine?"  
  
"You think I'm going to just leave you hanging? There's still much to learn, much to improve in!"  
  
"Oh boy."  
  
"Don't get too excited now. You'll be running a magic school around here. That will be tough work for you and the kid." Sakura didn't feel like she would enjoy this magic training very much.  
  
*********************  
  
The sign was the last part to go up on the building near the castle where Sakura and Syaoran would be holding their training sessions. It said, very simply, "Magic School". Kero said simple was best.  
  
Tomoyo readjusted to live in the castle, and was glad to see that Sakura would be remaining close by. She liked to visit Sakura, and Sakura liked to have her visit. Sonomi was glad that Tomoyo had more reason to stay than go. One day, she knew Tomoyo would be Queen. She just hoped Tomoyo made better decisions regarding men than she did.  
  
Kero told Sakura he could stay for awhile, to help things get started with the training in Rufley, but also that he had to find Yue. It was hard for him to explain why, just that something tugged at him and told him to find the other guardian Clow had created. He had no idea how long it would take to find Yue, once he started looking, but he promised Sakura he would return when he did.  
  
Meanwhile, Syaoran and Sakura lived alone together in the upper floor of their magic school. At first, Sakura did not want to, as being very prim and proper about everything was a mood she sometimes went into. Still, she decided she would rather live with Syaoran than alone.  
  
The night before their school opened for the first time, Syaoran convinced Sakura to join him on the roof to stargaze. There he turned to her, the breeze in the air causing both of them to shiver, and said, after working up the nerve, "I love you, Sakura."   
  
She gave him an odd look he didn't know how to read. Then she smiled, pecking him lightly on the cheek. "I love you too." Both were surprised at how easily they had said it. They had expected it to be difficult, but it wasn't.  
  
"It's about damn time," muttered Kero, watching them from the window where they could climb onto the roof. They watched the stars for a long time, and Sakura was convinced that good things did happen to her, that she was very grateful for everything she had gained through her journey, and that she prayed she could keep her new friends forever.  
  
The End  
  
********************************************  
  
A/N: Thanks to everyone who reviewed and/or read this story. I enjoy writing, but it is also nice to know other people like to read what I write. I hope you liked this story! ~ Gihyou 


End file.
